tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11851069270810940542024-02-19T01:35:20.010+00:00A Life of HospitalityAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-81515926885513286182016-07-12T11:02:00.001+01:002016-07-12T11:02:08.337+01:00Vineyard Visit - Woodchurch<div class="panel-grid" id="pg-2800-0" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "PT Sans"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">
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<b><b style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;">Date
Visited:</b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"> Saturday 16th April 2016</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: inherit;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Website:</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://woodchurchwine.co.uk/" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #d10037; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">woodchurchwine.co.uk/</span></a></div>
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<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Location:</span></b> Woodchurch, Kent<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">A
particular priority during ou<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">r trip to Kent was to visit a vineyard in its
infancy, so when the opportunity arose to see Woodchurch, we were delighted to
add them as the last stop on our tour. I must admit that although I had spotted
the vines falling away down the gentle slope to my right, I sailed past the
entrance on my first pass and had to perform a rather questionable 20 point
turn on a narrow country road to get back on track. There was no signage or
elaborate visitor centre, just a corrugated shed, a tractor, Graham Barbour,
and his vines – and you know, I quite like that.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPIANnxfO1AqyVMwXxqBKnSGPsHYko_AeWmjrZ-vxh7DSVhSdwQAJEO2phl4_oZURpCdVCS25zfhZ3HbkCxLcZekFfneLmLzJ6YfktBDCYgUKbZG-UuIvJp8N_0xE6_vHPmd2ZbaAPIM/s1600/woodchurch_vineyard1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPIANnxfO1AqyVMwXxqBKnSGPsHYko_AeWmjrZ-vxh7DSVhSdwQAJEO2phl4_oZURpCdVCS25zfhZ3HbkCxLcZekFfneLmLzJ6YfktBDCYgUKbZG-UuIvJp8N_0xE6_vHPmd2ZbaAPIM/s400/woodchurch_vineyard1.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Graham has always lived in Kent and leaving a
successful career in publishing in the City behind him, his ambition was to
produce wine that was completely representative of the county – a wine that
“tasted of Kent”, you might say. His wife Donna worked in the United States for
some time and was initially keen for them to move the family and set up a
vineyard over there, but thankfully they ultimately decided against the idea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Graham
and Donna very much tend to the vineyard themselves so it seems that we visited
at exactly the right time of year – Graham’s favourite time of year, when the
pruning and tying is complete, everything is under control and all he has to do
is keep a keen eye out for late frost and wait for the buds to burst.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
couple bought the South-facing plot at auction in 2009 planting the first
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier clones in 2010. As with many producers
that we speak to, Graham was clear that site selection was critical and their
meticulous preparation was immediately rewarded (as best as it might be…) by
their first harvest – the devastating wash-out of 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">On the crest of a hill, Woodchurch recorded a
significantly lower rainfall than even the Kent average and the younger, more
disease-resistant vines yielded 2,000 bottles each of the Blanc de Blancs and
Classic Cuvée, when many of the already established producers scrapped the
entire vintage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vokOILLxMjgtDXlNP8dLAbcxAFletrsErQDaiu1Xj2cDXZVO2xI36VyCy5McSmfbhjTS9nxn5pPV9N5r1eEtXhvBEVUmSZNT2AyUAO7nrWY2BkMujF2UiBQoLtdDZZTgEqcXt4OZlVs/s1600/woodchurch_vineyard3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vokOILLxMjgtDXlNP8dLAbcxAFletrsErQDaiu1Xj2cDXZVO2xI36VyCy5McSmfbhjTS9nxn5pPV9N5r1eEtXhvBEVUmSZNT2AyUAO7nrWY2BkMujF2UiBQoLtdDZZTgEqcXt4OZlVs/s400/woodchurch_vineyard3.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
smaller harvest may have actually benefitted in the development side of the
business, as it allowed the Barbours time to experiment and really fine-tune
their product. For example, the keener-eyed of you may notice that not only are
the first harvest’s bottles individually numbered, but the original bottles
were green and subsequently changed to a darker glass from 2013 to better
protect the wine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
wine itself is vinified by Kevin Sutherland at Bluebell Vineyards, who was
chosen from a shortlist of contact producers because he offered the couple a
very direct connection to the winemaking process, which Graham quite rightly
felt was important. They gave Kevin a detailed brief of how they hoped the end
product would taste, from which Kevin produces 7-10 different base wines each
vintage. After much sampling and discussion, the final blend is decided upon
and after three vintages it seems they are much clearer and closer to achieving
the end goal. The other real attraction of working with Bluebell is rather more
technical - the number of fermentation tanks that were offered for the
production of the wine. Whilst other contractors offered just 4 or 5 tanks for
the contract, Kevin ferments each of the 12 clones of the 3 varietals
separately. This attention to detail really does pay dividends in the end
product and the wine has winning awards from the outset, not least recognition
from the IWSC and Decanter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnMSGhcrZ6noE_UEvD1pLSObyuV6Xr7VH59NEkwLpVPX2MEBW5G3_kZavvVw1ufmZsHAq8NmK6UYOgESzVH4hNfqR1cglqqzsG4lvxBnraCUk2pjIFtAcB0fXmA4WDUWVoe0TGllHIf0/s1600/woodchurch_vineyard2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnMSGhcrZ6noE_UEvD1pLSObyuV6Xr7VH59NEkwLpVPX2MEBW5G3_kZavvVw1ufmZsHAq8NmK6UYOgESzVH4hNfqR1cglqqzsG4lvxBnraCUk2pjIFtAcB0fXmA4WDUWVoe0TGllHIf0/s400/woodchurch_vineyard2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">In
2013 the Rosé Brut was added to the portfolio following a much better vintage,
yielding around 6 times as many grapes as the previous year and producing
around 23,000 bottles in all. Some grapes were sold to recover start-up costs
and recoup some of the losses from 2012, but their brand was growing
successfully. The packaging was conceived by Donna and the end result is not
only striking, but beautiful and would certainly draw the eye on any major
retailer’s shelf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">In 2014 the Barbours hoped to add a still Pinot
Noir and Chardonnay to the portfolio, but the final result on the Chardonnay
was not entirely satisfactory so the wine “went back into the mix”. The Pinot
is still in barrel and I am extremely eager to try some once available – I’m
sure that Great British Wine will be reporting on it for you as soon as it is
released. Having tried some sublime still English Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
this year, we do hope that Woodchurch have made another attempt at the Chardonnay,
as their signature style would create a very interesting and exciting wine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">If
this year’s vintage goes to plan Graham aims to keep some of the wine back, so
it's with great anticipation <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">we report that we may also be seeing a Non
Vintage Sparkling Wine from Woodchurch in the near future. They are also
planting their first Bacchus vines this year, with first harvest planned for
2018 and another still wine hitting the shelves in 2019. There are much grander
plans for the vineyard site in the near future too, with ambition to expand by
two or three fold and an interesting concept for a cellar door and tasting room
made from shipping containers was excitedly explained and drawn out in the air
by Graham, who told us that work should be well underway this Summer and
planned for completion by the end of this year, or early 2017.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">I’ll
leave you with a lovely sentiment from Graham about the English Wine world, who
he tells us is extremely close-knit and supportive – he firmly believes that he
and Donna couldn’t have got to where there are now without assistance and
advice from the wider English Wine community and is extremely grateful to
everyone along their journey. I can’t help but love the vision and simplicity
of the Woodchurch set-up as it is now but I sincerely wish them every success
in their future development, because the wines borne from their first few
vintages are truly excellent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 16.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 16.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; padding: 0cm;">Woodchurch Classic Cuvée, 2013</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "PT Sans Narrow",serif; font-size: 16.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2clMNgZnHd8Hx5L4IRk-qqhKyLd67UgdWuJg95sp7ETWq31MB-kEDDxVl_wjtGqI7V9rim3Iso3ILseqXKEXyjajHbmt0p7nO_odUeNBtVDdIZMsOTlD7rn8QmuVkAi-K7equ2BPuqw/s1600/woodchurch_classiccuvee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2clMNgZnHd8Hx5L4IRk-qqhKyLd67UgdWuJg95sp7ETWq31MB-kEDDxVl_wjtGqI7V9rim3Iso3ILseqXKEXyjajHbmt0p7nO_odUeNBtVDdIZMsOTlD7rn8QmuVkAi-K7equ2BPuqw/s200/woodchurch_classiccuvee.jpg" width="135" /></a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><b>Grapes:</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;">
Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier & Pinot Noir</span><br /><b>
RRP:</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;"> £26.95<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Whilst
the challenging 2012 vintage forced their hand to only using Pinot Noir and
Pinot Meunier in their Classic Cuvée (technically a Blanc de Noirs?),
Woodchurch have more traditionally added Chardonnay to the blend for 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">There
is typical English vibrancy and freshness on the palate, but Donna’s insistence
on the Chardonnay receiving a lick of oak has really brought the best out of
the wine by adding a bit more texture, weight and all of those delicious
associated flavours that I personally adore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
fruit is certainly Kentish, with apples and pears at the fore, notes of summer
berries and melon and then a clean, citrus finish that just seems to keep
unfolding on the palate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 16.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 16.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; padding: 0cm;">Woodchurch Blanc de Blancs, 2012</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "PT Sans Narrow",serif; font-size: 16.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8BvjqzNEGAwaYSA0rZap47ZLG0nKLdWx7YRLKuMKQir9FWFn0xpVMUi4XYFq9A9B8vhTVhNCBqzT1GLF2ZHofz1TNH4y9hClrQbQs4r-29wZQyzzagWUaE2dqeNEGCdi2IwsuNPET7I/s1600/woodchurch_blancdeblancs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8BvjqzNEGAwaYSA0rZap47ZLG0nKLdWx7YRLKuMKQir9FWFn0xpVMUi4XYFq9A9B8vhTVhNCBqzT1GLF2ZHofz1TNH4y9hClrQbQs4r-29wZQyzzagWUaE2dqeNEGCdi2IwsuNPET7I/s200/woodchurch_blancdeblancs.jpg" width="135" /></a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><b>Grapes:</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;"> Chardonnay</span><br /><b>
RRP:</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;"> £28.95<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
fact that this was my favourite of the three shows that perseverance was
justified in 2012. A higher dosage of 15.8g was needed to pin back the higher
acidity, but the fruit has certainly not been quelled by the additional sugar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
nose is distinctly of red apples, with lemon zest and white peach joining the
party on the palate. A touch of vanilla and brioche too, imparted by Donna’s
beloved oak<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Fine,
elegant bubbles and again, a clean, persistent finish. I found myself asking
Graham if he’d recommend this as an aperitif, but who am I kidding – it would
be equally brilliant before food, with food or even instead of food!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 16.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; padding: 0cm;">Woodchurch Rosé, 2013</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "PT Sans Narrow",serif; font-size: 16.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicS2NQeXuB_gLs3EgdDj-Q7s82qCakKOgGW9mfo6xPCDqq20L3o4EG-6QG_kY12Jd5ACEC7lc5w1vDaY8QsbHuELgdun42YKOq_voyOLtwgJS8Al0WwRNh7ZL8PoLAnAa4ZvC7VNGtxog/s1600/woodchurch_rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicS2NQeXuB_gLs3EgdDj-Q7s82qCakKOgGW9mfo6xPCDqq20L3o4EG-6QG_kY12Jd5ACEC7lc5w1vDaY8QsbHuELgdun42YKOq_voyOLtwgJS8Al0WwRNh7ZL8PoLAnAa4ZvC7VNGtxog/s200/woodchurch_rose.jpg" width="135" /></a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><b>Grapes:</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;">
Pinot Meunier & Pinot Noir</span><br /><b>
RRP:</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;"> £28.95<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">A
precise blend of 68% Pinot Noir and 32% Pinot Meunier produces this delicious
sparkling rosé. Whilst they all retain their Kentish heritage, the Woodchurch
wines each have their own unique character<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
palate is alive with vibrant red fruit. Wild strawberries, raspberries and
cranberries followed by watermelon and white pepper on the finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">A
slight creaminess cuts through the freshness and the fine bubbles dance all of
the flavours across the tongue beautifully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-13964963460753571602016-06-01T08:57:00.000+01:002016-06-01T08:57:42.379+01:00Vineyard Visit - English Oak<div class="content-area" id="primary" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: 'PT Sans'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 848.385px;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em;">It’s not often that I get to visit the South coast, so I couldn’t resist a visit to the nearby English Oak Vineyard when a weekend in Poole was planned. On a gloriously sunny but fresh February morning, the weather could not have been more perfect for this time of year to explore. We were warmly greeted by Andrew Pharoah, who told us that his wife Sarah was out in the vineyard pruning the vines – a laborious but crucial process being carried out by vineyards across the country at this time of year. We began in the converted stables, which are kitted out as meeting or presentation rooms to aptly portray that English Oak is more than a vineyard; but a destination. Kudos to them, because I cannot think of a better spot to hold an off-site conference and then enjoy a glass or two at the bar after a hard day’s work.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-bHxo98qBHHEJIB3tE6pm06yTLd6vTI4pYgRane-kG91jiFYpEv9VStGik15NIHK1utrGOgTTbq_TBV_MyHU3sGUZ8p0iclh9FH3Y_utIGaeCyNoIYWXbvXAofRxroLRtPuFPPfPvzI/s1600/englishoak_presentation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-bHxo98qBHHEJIB3tE6pm06yTLd6vTI4pYgRane-kG91jiFYpEv9VStGik15NIHK1utrGOgTTbq_TBV_MyHU3sGUZ8p0iclh9FH3Y_utIGaeCyNoIYWXbvXAofRxroLRtPuFPPfPvzI/s320/englishoak_presentation.jpg" width="320" /></a>Andrew fondly regaled his story of how the idea of a vineyard came about during a visit to their holiday home in Cyprus in 2004, where he and Sarah found themselves drinking a bottle of red from the nearby <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nikolettino </em>vineyard at a local taverna. Wanting to take some home of the delicious local wine home they discovered that it was only available from the vineyard, so naturally they went off to seek it out. They took two things back from the vineyard that day – cases upon cases of wine and tired of their careers in IT, more than just a glimmer of enthusiasm that perhaps one day they could open their own winery. The major problem they faced was that whilst it would be easy to grow grapes in the Mediterranean, surely it would be impossible to produce quality wine back in England? Or so they thought. Such a common misconception, but it was refreshing to hear from a producer.</div>
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Once back in Britain they found over 400 wineries already in existence and went to see several of our established producers as part of their research. Like many, they were so impressed with the standard that soon there was no going back. Enrolled onto a course in Viticulture at Plumpton College, they began searching for the perfect site. In 2007 they sold their house in Sandbanks and bought a nearby farm, which at the time was used to raise cows and grow turnips. As well as having perfect soil conditions for growing Champagne varietals, the bowl shape of the plot was ideal for retaining sunshine and heat, whilst sheltering the vines from cold winds – a great advantage in our climate.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4tVR2Ne6PZsfOieFix4We1M0myISgbf5XmZh0vNGhOzqy7d-4gmDbhPzVc9hjB0QSZICG1CFwqGP6xJAso8AzbbneYSZi_B7gXyRCj9rCkkHzu3Nbat81Ep1vQggSkH2scbyiptvl3c/s1600/englishoak_wine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4tVR2Ne6PZsfOieFix4We1M0myISgbf5XmZh0vNGhOzqy7d-4gmDbhPzVc9hjB0QSZICG1CFwqGP6xJAso8AzbbneYSZi_B7gXyRCj9rCkkHzu3Nbat81Ep1vQggSkH2scbyiptvl3c/s320/englishoak_wine.jpg" width="212" /></a>The aim was simple – to turn the farm into a boutique vineyard. Making wines in the Champagne style but with a unique British character, and like <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nikolettino </em>back in Cyprus, to concentrate their marketing on the local area to ensure exclusivity and quality of supply. Andrew was proud to tell me that this also helped them to minimise their carbon footprint, helped further by their electrically-powered delivery vehicle. In 2007 they planted the first of 23,000 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines and the first harvest came in 2009, with more vines planted that year. Their name English Oak Vineyard, coming from a huge 300 year old oak tree in the middle of the site and each of their wines is also charmingly named after a species of oak; Engelmann, Chinkapin and San Gabriel.</div>
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Focus is certainly on quality at English Oak, with their vines yielding between 2.5-4 tonnes per acre, an average of 40 tonnes in all. The excellent weather of 2014 brought the best crop though, of just over 87 tonnes at harvest – a stark contrast to the disastrous wash-out of 2012, which gave them just 7 tonnes and was ultimately undeclared and scrapped. Just as for many British producers this must have been such a difficult decision, particularly in the infancy of their business. But it is great to hear that the business is thriving despite their setback, particularly on the back of recognition for all of their wines by Decanter last year.</div>
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Playing a key part in the process is renowned winemaker Dermot Sugrue, who takes care of everything between harvesting the grapes and bottling. Dermot is an absolute legend of the English wine world and I’ve never tried a wine of his that I didn’t enjoy, so I knew we were in for a treat even before the first cork was popped. On the vineyard side, Sarah’s original background in horticulture ensures that he has the finest of produce to work with – a real winning combination. We caught up with Sarah amongst the vines and enjoyed a brief demonstration of the pruning and tying process. It’s clear that a lot of skill goes into nurturing the vines and it was such an education to see a vineyard at this time of year, in its starkest guise.</div>
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The thing that struck me most about English Oak was just how multi-faceted an innovative the business was – aside from the converted stables already mentioned and of course, the wine, a large marquee takes pride of place under the old oak in Summer for weddings. What’s more, later this year they will be offering Segway tours to the more adventurous visitors. I was most excited to hear that 2017 will see the first release of a 100% Pinot Noir “Wainscot” Blanc de Noirs. Andrew was delighted to tell us that the 2014 harvest was the first time he had tasted the juice from his Pinot Noir and thought “wow, this would make a really great still red!”. But a fantastic limited 1,000-bottle release BdN was the first priority and I for one am extremely eager to try it once Andrew, Sarah and Dermot decide that it is ready!</div>
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San Gabriel Blanc de Blancs 2010</h3>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Grapes:</strong> Chardonnay <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Price:</strong> £31.99</div>
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In a limited release of 1,000 bottles, this Blanc de Blancs from English Oak Vineyard made by Dermot Sugrue oozes quality. Classic in style, the wine is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes taken from the vineyard’s finest aspect.</div>
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Incredibly pale in colour and equally light on the nose, initial impressions are of elegance and finesse. The additional age smooths the edges out beautifully and I’d be tempted to cellar a few of these for several more years.</div>
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The palate is equally charmingly delicate and crisp, led by green apple and lemon rind. A fine mousse eases in more classically British country garden style with some pear and more citrus that helps to keep the palate evolving during its superb length. Just a hint of white pepper finishes everything beautifully.</div>
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What We Thought: <img alt="" src="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/plugins/book-review/includes/images/four-star.png" style="border-radius: 3px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" /></div>
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Chinkapin Rosé Brut 2013</h3>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Grapes:</strong> Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Price:</strong> £29.99</div>
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English Oak’s wines all have a signature crisp, refreshing green apple character and I was surprised to find that this also followed through to this delicious rosé. The freshness comes from cold fermentation of the wine – a common trait in Dermot Sugrue’s wines.</div>
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In this blend of 51% Chardonnay, 16% Pinot Noir and 33% Pinot Meunier, the apples are joined by cranberry, redcurrant, wild strawberry and raspberry, with all the flavours coming through extremely clear and bright.</div>
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As the palate evolves, a slight creaminess breaks through the delicate mousse and balances the tart berry palate nicely.</div>
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What We Thought: <img alt="" src="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/plugins/book-review/includes/images/three-star.png" style="border-radius: 3px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" /></div>
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Engelmann Classic Cuvée 2013</h3>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Grapes:</strong> Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Price:</strong> £27.99</div>
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To my palate this is the jewel in English Oak’s Crown. Aptly elegantly gold in colour, English Oak’s website suggests that competition judges think it is “a very nice wine”, but I don’t think that does it justice. This wine rates highly now, but it’s still young and with another few years in the cellar I think it’s going to be even better.</div>
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The palate begins in their signature style, with crisp green apple. Cranberry and a hint of wild raspberry creep in from the red grapes in the blend, before the 24 months ageing on the lees takes over. Freshly baked croissant, cream, butter and all things nice!</div>
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More apples and lemon cut through the decadence on the finish, which just seems to linger and evolve for such a long time. Fine bubbles offer a great mouthfeel against the slight weight of the Chardonnay.</div>
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What We Thought: <img alt="" src="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/plugins/book-review/includes/images/four-star.png" style="border-radius: 3px; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-62797974175979269642016-01-18T10:49:00.000+00:002016-02-09T17:16:07.760+00:00Five Reasons Why Every Restaurant & Bar in England Should Sell English Wine<br />
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "pt sans"; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22.4px;">This morning I had my first article published on a "proper" website! I met John Mobbs of <a href="http://www.greatbritishwine.com/" target="_blank">Great British Wine</a> a while back via <a href="http://www.vivino.com/" target="_blank">Vivino</a>, following the <a href="http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/" target="_blank">English Wine Producers </a>Trade & Press Tasting. Following a bit of inspiration from <a href="http://www.drinkmemag.com/author/robbiepriddle/" target="_blank">Robbie Priddle</a>, we set up a small campaign to get <a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/make-english-wines-a-recognised-regional-style-on" target="_blank">English Wine recognised as a regional style on Vivino</a>, which finally happened last week! Following multiple trend reports from the likes of "big boys" such as <a href="http://akamai.bbr.com/downloads/berry-bros-rudd-trends-2016.pdf" target="_blank">Berry Bros</a> and even Majestic, all predicting that English Wine will overtake Champagne on the global market in the next few years, I can't help but get excited about how big English Wine is going to be in 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "pt sans"; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22.4px;">The full article can be read below, or of course on <a href="http://greatbritishwine.com/2016/01/five-reasons-why-every-restaurant-bar-in-england-should-sell-english-wine/" target="_blank">Great British Wine</a>.</span></div>
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In a former (but not too distant past) I owned, if I may say so, a superb little gastropub on the outskirts of the Derbyshire Peak District. One of our resounding successes was our Wine List, which at its peak showcased no less than nine English Wines in a list of around eighty bottles. I was first properly introduced to it by a former employee, who was insistent that we should have English Wine on the list. Despite his best efforts and reasonably sound arguments I must admit I was sceptical – I’d heard mixed reviews on quality, along with stories of high prices and therefore saw the prospect as a bit of a gamble. Nevertheless we sent him off to the <a href="http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">English Wine Producers (EWP) Trade & Press Tasting</a>in London to see what was available, with a brief to seek out the best still English Wine that his modest budget could buy. Well, things just snowballed from there...</div>
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Now a fully-fledged convert, in my current role of selling wines to the on-trade I often face the same resistance and feel the same frustration that I bestowed on that poor employee in our opening exchanges. Two things are clear in my eyes – first, some English Wine is world-beating stuff and in fact has beaten leading contemporaries in blind tasting competitions and second, not enough people know about it. Every restaurant, pub and bar in England should be selling English Wine – but why?</div>
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1. IT IS NOW WIDELY REGARDED AS SOME OF THE BEST WINE IN THE WORLD</h3>
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<img alt="nyt_classicc_L" class="alignright wp-image-1406" src="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/nyt_classicc_L.jpg" height="300" style="border-radius: 3px; display: inline; float: right; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em 1.5em; max-width: 100%;" width="200" />English Sparkling Wine in particular, in my humble opinion, is some of the best wine available on the world market today. As an affirmation of standing, the EU granted English Sparkling Wine a PDO in 2011 and applications are also currently pending for some of the largest producing sub-regions such as Sussex. It is well-reported that the same vein of chalky soil runs under the Channel and re-emerges in parts of Sussex and Kent, but the real game-changer has been global warming.</div>
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Whilst producers had previously been limited to the hardiest of grapes or hybrids, we now have the perfect climate to grow some of the world’s best known and loved varietals. Specifically, our climate is now what Champagne’s was approximately 30 years ago, and in years to come Champagne may just be too warm to produce the same sorts of wines. Whilst we sold Nytimber’s 2007 Blanc de Blancs at the pub (for £70.00, and it did sell!), I have since discovered the release of their <a href="http://greatbritishwine.com/product-catalog/nyetimber-classic-cuvee-2010/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;">2010 Classic Cuvée</a>, which I think might just be the best sparkling wine under £35 in the world - a bold, but absolutely unapologetic statement!</div>
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<a class="fancybox" href="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/5reasons_wines21.jpg" rel="fancybox" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="5reasons_wines2" class=" wp-image-2188 alignleft" src="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/5reasons_wines21.jpg" height="300" style="border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; display: inline; float: left; height: auto; margin: 0px 1.5em 1.5em 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a>It was only last week that I was reading of Taittinger’s acquisition of an English site; perhaps planning ahead, perhaps getting in on the action, but certainly confirming that our terroir and our climate are highly in demand. Whilst English Wine struggled for years to make inroads as a result of lack of experience and the aforementioned climactic limiations, it is safe to say that the tide is undoubtedly turning.</div>
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Earlier this year Noble Rot Magazine organised a blind tasting event in London, which was judged amongst others by eminent wine critics Jancis Robinson, Neal Martin, Kate Spicer and Jamie Goode. Hambledon and <a href="http://greatbritishwine.com/product-mark/nyetimber/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;">Nyetimber’s</a> Classic Cuvées claimed the top two spots over the likes of Pol Roger and our new natives Taittinger, with <a href="http://greatbritishwine.com/product-mark/wiston-estate/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;">Wiston Cuvée</a>and <a href="http://greatbritishwine.com/product-mark/gusbourne/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;">Gusbourne</a> Brut Reserve faring particularly well too. Gusbourne Brut in fact picked up two IWSC gold medals this year and won the title of IWSC English Sparkling Wine of the Year 2015. Wiston Estate were my “surprise package” of the EWP event this year, having enjoyed all of their offerings but particularly their <a href="http://greatbritishwine.com/product-catalog/wiston-estate-rose-2011/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;">2011 Sparkling Rosé</a>. You can read a brief synopsis of my favourite wines from the EWP event <a href="http://ajurkiw.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/english-pub-english-wine.html" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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2. TO SUPPORT THE BRITISH ECONOMY</h3>
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Any restaurant or gastropub worth its weight prides itself on sourcing food as locally as possible. This phenomenon has not just borne itself out of the belief that a local area’s produce is the best, but also because of increasing pressures to support the local economy and reduce our carbon footprint. Another of my favourite wine-producing regions is California, but because of high import/export taxes and a huge captive market on their doorstep diversity in good (affordable) Californian wines is very hard to come by in the UK. If some of the world’s best wines are at our fingertips it makes sense to keep them for ourselves, just as the Californians do!</div>
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All of the best-selling wines in the UK come from overseas – France, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Chile… Whilst the UK government sees the benefit of excise duty and VAT on each bottle sold in the country, none of that money goes into supporting the grass-roots of the British economy and in particular, our wine growing community. By taking the plunge and buying British we will undoubtedly see even further improvements in the world market, as well as potentially a reduction in relative pricing over time.</div>
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3. IT IS WIDELY AVAILABLE</h3>
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<a class="fancybox" href="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/The-Wingerworth.jpg" rel="fancybox" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="The-Wingerworth" class="alignright wp-image-2166" src="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/The-Wingerworth.jpg" height="255" style="border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; display: inline; float: right; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em 1.5em; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a>I’ve already mentioned that English Wine is on our doorstep – so use that to your advantage. Any wine merchant worth their salt now has a good selection of English Wine for your to choose from – if not, it’s perhaps time to change your wine merchant!</div>
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That said, I used a combination of sources to build my 11-strong English Wine selection at <a href="http://thewingerworth.co.uk/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">The Wingerworth</a>. Aside from our friendly wine merchant, take a look at online retailers – there are always bargains to be had, which means more margin for you and potentially a more accessible price for your customer too. <a href="http://www.waitrosecellar.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Waitrose</a> have really outdone themselves over the past year or so and boast a fantastic selection of English Wine! Just recently I picked up bottles of the Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2010 in-store for just £21.59 using a combination of promotions. Sadly this offer has expired, but the beauty of any good wine list is that you can keep it rotating based on any particularly great deals that you can pick up. I also used <a href="https://www.majestic.co.uk/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Majestic</a>, <a href="http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Laithwaites</a>, <a href="http://www.winedirect.co.uk/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Wine Direct</a>, <a href="http://www.thedrinkshop.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">The Drink Shop</a> and <a href="http://www.greatenglishwines.co.uk/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Great English Wines</a>, to name just a few.</div>
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However, the best tip I can give is to speak to the producers themselves. Arrange an educational “staff training” day at the vineyard for your team even. In fairness to the producers I won’t list prices, but by speaking directly to local producers like Kieron Atkinson at Renishaw Hall and George Bowden at Leventhorpe, or slightly further afield Biddenden and Brightwell, we were able to retail English Wine under the £20 mark and still make good margin. The best news – I wasn’t paying or a middle-man and the producer was probably making a better margin than if they had sold to an intermediary.</div>
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4. IT IS STILL BETTER VALUE THAN ITS CONTEMPORARIES AND THE MARGINS WORK</h3>
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<a class="fancybox" href="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/5reasons_chakboard.jpg" rel="fancybox" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="5reasons_chakboard" class="alignleft wp-image-2182" src="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/5reasons_chakboard.jpg" height="350" style="border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; display: inline; float: left; height: auto; margin: 0px 1.5em 1.5em 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="263" /></a>I have to address the issue of price – because let’s face it, you won’t find a bottle of English Wine for under £5. So why is English Wine so expensive? The simplest answer is that we are fairly new to the wine world. The age-old wine adage goes that “to make a small fortune in the wine world, you need to start with a large one”. Our producers have invested huge sums of money into their vineyards relatively recently, whilst our neighbours in France for example paid for their wineries generations ago, so we’re playing catch-up with the majority of the rest of the wine world.</div>
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Now, if the quality wasn’t there I certainly wouldn’t part with an extra couple of quid per bottle, but we’ve already said that it’s world-class. One of the best-selling wines in the UK is New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which shares similar characteristics to one of our best-known varietals, Bacchus. I’ve said that I won’t mention pricing, so I’ll say that our Brightwell Bacchus was purchased and consequently retailed for less than our NZ Sauvignon. Yes the Sauvignon still sold more, as it always will do, but as a result of great staff training and subsequent recommendation to customers we sold a surprising amount of Bacchus.</div>
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But what about the margins if the New Zealand retailed at a higher price point you say? Well, I set the cash margin of the Bacchus similarly to the Sauvignon so that the business wouldn’t lose out. Equally as a percentage of retail price, our Gross Profit on the Bacchus was therefore better (see table below to demonstrate). Your business doesn’t lose out – the extra £3 retail price pays for a greater chunk of VAT and a middle-man.</div>
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<table class="wptg-table wptg-comparison-table" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-bottom-style: solid; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 734px;"><thead class="wptg-thead" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<tr style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><th class="placeholder wptg-placeholder" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></th><th style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="5reasons_bacchus" class="alignleft wp-image-2221" src="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/5reasons_bacchus.png" height="73" style="border-radius: 3px; display: inline; float: left; height: auto; margin: 0px 1.5em 1.5em 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="240" /></th><th style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="5reasons_sauvignon" class="alignleft wp-image-2220" src="http://greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/5reasons_sauvignon.png" height="73" style="border-radius: 3px; display: inline; float: left; height: auto; margin: 0px 1.5em 1.5em 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="240" /></th></tr>
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<tr style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Purchase Price:</strong></td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">£6.50</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">£7.30</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Cash Margin :</strong></td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">£10.26</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">£10.40</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Retail Price :</strong></td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">£20.95 (£16.76 ex. VAT)</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">£23.95 (£19.16 ex. VAT)</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Gross Profit (%) :</strong></td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">61.22%</td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">54.28%</td></tr>
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5. IT GETS PEOPLE TALKING</h3>
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English Wine is exciting! If staff have met the producer, if they have tasted the quality and if they have been trained correctly, they will get excited about it. If your staff are excited about a product, your customers will be too. This is so simple, I really don’t need to say more!</div>
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If you would like to discuss in greater detail, please do not hesitate to contact me via the details below, or <a href="http://greatbritishwine.com/contact/" style="border: 0px; color: #d10037; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;">John at Great British Wine</a>.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-90916461719180463172015-12-20T18:30:00.002+00:002015-12-20T18:30:31.217+00:00Festive Recommendations<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.3px;">
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A lot has happened since I posted blog on here - the year has somewhat run away with me! Over the Summer we decided to move on from <a href="http://www.thewingerworth.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Wingerworth</a> and I'm now pursuing the dream of working in the wine industry with a brilliant Derbyshire-based Wine Merchant called <a href="https://twitter.com/swines126" target="_blank">Springwell Wines</a>. I'm sure that an honest and eye-opening review of our time at The Wingerworth will follow in months to come, but for now I'm concentrating on moving forward in my latest adventure. </div>
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I recently submitted the following recommendations for the <a href="https://www.vivino.com/wine-news/around-the-world-in-16-globes--a-holiday-gift-guide/" target="_blank">Vivino Festive Buying Guide</a> and two of the write-ups were published in the guide, only severely edited down. After a long time out from blogging I thought that publishing the full piece on here would be a good way to get back into the swing.</div>
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The wines that I have chosen are some of my favourite wines from 2015 - wines that I love and am excited to share with my family on Christmas Day. </div>
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<b><a href="http://nyetimber.com/" target="_blank">Nyetimber</a> Classic Cuvee, Sussex, UK<span class="" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span></b></div>
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<i>Pinot Noir (51%), Chardonnay (36%), Pinot Meunier (13%)<span class="" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOSObZJB_upFyvZOEKY_8mh6a0AiF02Pvkjny0fZmc_lPBswY8PrQ3h45_7KRD3LfpeOsFOpTq2-EwVydStdPlB8BsELPNgbpzE1IFfaBXqukNQTOEiZ0YWvX2LJ4hW_n9TStJDdPP_M/s1600/SPK_Nyetimber__65650.1445948253.1280.1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOSObZJB_upFyvZOEKY_8mh6a0AiF02Pvkjny0fZmc_lPBswY8PrQ3h45_7KRD3LfpeOsFOpTq2-EwVydStdPlB8BsELPNgbpzE1IFfaBXqukNQTOEiZ0YWvX2LJ4hW_n9TStJDdPP_M/s200/SPK_Nyetimber__65650.1445948253.1280.1280.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="line-height: 21.3px;">I've approached these recommendations by thinking of what I will be serving to my loved ones on Christmas Day. There were a number of strong contenders here - <a href="https://www.gusbourne.com/" target="_blank">Gusbourne Estate</a> have won several IWSC Gold Medals this year and was named the <a href="https://www.gusbourne.com/articles/english-wine-producer-of-the-year" target="_blank">IWSC English Wine Producer of the Year</a>. We sell several of their wines at <a href="https://twitter.com/swines126" target="_blank">Springwell</a> and I'm particularly fond of the <a href="https://www.gusbourne.com/wines/brut-reserve" target="_blank">Brut Reserve</a>. The <a href="http://www.wistonestate.com/shop/wiston-rose-2011/" target="_blank">Wiston Estate Rose </a>blew me away earlier in the year too, but in my opinion <a href="http://nyetimber.com/our-wines/" target="_blank">Nyetimber Classic Cuvee 2010</a> is the best fizz in the UK right now (read that how you will...). At the astonishing £21.59 I have been paying at <a href="http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=18441" target="_blank">Waitrose</a> lately, £-for-£ it is the best value wine you will find full stop. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.3px;">You'll note that I have only mentioned English Sparkling Wines - well, that's because I now have a bit of a passion for <a href="http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/" target="_blank">English Wine</a> and I do genuinely think it is the best! I have to thank good old <a href="http://simonpaulfranklin.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Simon</a> for introducing me to the stuff at The Wingerworth and I'm so glad he did. Earlier this year a tasting panel including Jancis Robinson, Neal Martin, Kate Spicer and Jamie Goode pitted this and the best of the rest of British wine against Champagne, with English wines taking the top two slots. Chalky soil in Kent and Sussex is similar to that in Champagne so we get a very comparable style to good quality fizz from the other side of the Channel. Just to throw a little controversy into the fire, global warming has done the <a href="http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/" target="_blank">English Wine</a> industry a bit of a favour over the last few decades and there's no doubt that English fizz is leading the charge in the global market these days. Aside from that, I'm sure we are all careful to "buy local" when it comes to putting together our festive feast, so why not buy your festive wine locally too? </span></div>
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Enough justification, to the wine itself - alongside that deliciously elegant combination of and freshly baked brioche, waxy lemon, honey and toasted festive nuts, we get a great reminder of the wine's heritage with some crisp apples and pears cutting through the richness. A fine and delicate mousse and in true festive spirit, length that just keeps giving. An absolutely stunning start to our Christmas celebrations.</div>
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<a href="http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=18441" target="_blank">Waitrose</a> - £31.99 (though I actually bought my current stock at £21.59 with various promotions!)</div>
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<b>Au Bon Climat<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"Hildegard", Santa Maria Valley, California, USA<span class="" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span></b></div>
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<i>Pinot Gris (50%), Pinot Blanc (40%), Aligote (10%)<span class="" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span></i></div>
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First on my Christmas Day sit-down menu is Chestnut Veloute with Confit Duck Leg - it sounds OTT, but it's basically my favourite soup... The one I wait all year for (I've given the fancy name so you can Google the recipe)! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHhKUHjbfK9wf9POzPAQem28kyKZaJM9qPYIaUQW-f5-ETvbu8muh5KBl042CzR6s2NYSo4a_dw08kumM3GkNuWwgJWl2K5dpcT1cPH2kSN5rip_0HdEw6dhFmkmcdcmAvs9nalUr_Ew/s1600/HIL11D1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHhKUHjbfK9wf9POzPAQem28kyKZaJM9qPYIaUQW-f5-ETvbu8muh5KBl042CzR6s2NYSo4a_dw08kumM3GkNuWwgJWl2K5dpcT1cPH2kSN5rip_0HdEw6dhFmkmcdcmAvs9nalUr_Ew/s200/HIL11D1.jpg" width="95" /></a>Everything in my being tells me to go White Burgundy here, but I'm not "that" guy. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Meursault or Montrachet, but my heart lies in California. This spot was very nearly taken by another stunning <a href="http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/" target="_blank">English Wine</a> - <a href="http://www.litmuswines.com/english-wines" target="_blank">Litmus Element 20</a>, but I didn't want to seem as though I was being single-minded and I think that the <a href="http://www.aubonclimat.com/?method=products.productDrilldown&productID=492EFDCF-9F25-8B44-1959-C9BA241D29F1&originalMarketingURL=product/-Hildegard---2011" target="_blank">Hildegard</a> will work with the dish better. Whilst I credited the discovery of English Wine to Simon Franklin, the shout-out on this wine goes to my General Manager at The Wingerworth, James Robinson. <a href="http://www.aubonclimat.com/" target="_blank">Au Bon Climat</a> is my favourite Burgundian-style Cali producer and I'd completely bypassed this beauty until James brought into onto our Wine List as part of a special feature on "Our Favourite Wines". You might be thinking that it's an odd pairing, but these three traditionally lighter grapes have been blended and oak aged (two years) to such perfection by the "Mind Behind" Jim Clendenen, that they have just been lifted to another level. Weighty, oily Pinot Gris stands up to the dish, while the minerality of Pinot Blanc and citrus of Aligote cut through the richness superbly. Flavours of crisp apple and mixed nuts blend with the chestnut in the soup perfectly. It's a match made in heaven!</div>
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I have been buying this at Majestic, but since the Naked Wines merger their selection seems to have nosedived and I sadly can't pop into my local shop to buy it anymore. Never fear, it's still available online!</div>
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<a href="https://www.fieldandfawcett.co.uk/wine/white/hildegard-au-bon-climat/" target="_blank">Field & Fawcett</a> - £28.50</div>
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<b><span class="" style="line-height: 21.3px;">Seghesio "Home Ranch", Alexander Valley, California, USA</span></b></div>
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<i>Zinfandel (85%), Petite Syrah (15%)<span class="" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span></i></div>
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This year we're having goose so I wanted to go with something a bit weightier and more interesting to stand up to the fattier-and-richer-than-turkey meat. In all honesty, I used to routinely pair Pinot Noir with turkey, but started to find that it gets overpowered by all of the delicious accompaniments on the plate so now I go slightly bolder. I'd recommend Southern Rhone if you're going down the turkey route - perhaps a nice CDP, though you'll get better value from Vacqueyras or Gigondas. </div>
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For my goose I was originally thinking of going with one of the heavyweights from Ridge -<a href="https://www.majestic.co.uk/Ridge-Lytton-Springs-zid18735?tracking=|searchterm:ridge" target="_blank"> Lytton Springs</a> or <a href="https://www.majestic.co.uk/Ridge-Geyserville-Zinfandel-zid18736?tracking=|searchterm:ridge" target="_blank">Geyserville</a>, which incidentally <i>are</i> still available from <a href="https://www.majestic.co.uk/" target="_blank">Majestic</a> via Special Distribution. But then I remembered this big boy and there was no going back! <span style="line-height: 21.3px;">The</span><a href="http://www.seghesio.com/product/Home-Ranch-Zinfandel?pageID=A6C69EAB-E22D-E33F-DE86-CAC9C1D355BD&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=100&" style="line-height: 21.3px;" target="_blank"> "Home Ranch"</a><span style="line-height: 21.3px;"> from <a href="http://www.seghesio.com/product/Home-Ranch-Zinfandel?pageID=A6C69EAB-E22D-E33F-DE86-CAC9C1D355BD&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=100&" target="_blank">Seghesio</a> is just a powerhouse of a Zinfandel that bears stunning ripe, sweet fruit that will go with a festive goose like nothing else. There is beautifully considered oak ageing and earthy undertones reminiscent of a good Rioja. It's Christmas and it's definitely time to pull the big guns out.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.slurp.co.uk/red-wine/american-red-wine/44127-seghesio-home-ranch-alexander-valley-zinfandel-2012/" target="_blank">Slurp</a> - £49.95</div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 21.3px;">A. R. Valdespino<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 21.3px;">"El Candado" </span><span style="line-height: 21.3px;">Pedro Ximenez, Jerez, Spain</span><span class="" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOr_lmGAZhSVjl9knB8MglsotnHvUHAwvLYm1dQDpV-QCdTx8prPok5zn_G55PP3C4VigBz-WjL9C8qRzGUCnQk9vBFblZiH14BoIVGTttDKYq6gKiBtNoS3FhYxmkpThFlW1PQeLk_o/s1600/89826.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOr_lmGAZhSVjl9knB8MglsotnHvUHAwvLYm1dQDpV-QCdTx8prPok5zn_G55PP3C4VigBz-WjL9C8qRzGUCnQk9vBFblZiH14BoIVGTttDKYq6gKiBtNoS3FhYxmkpThFlW1PQeLk_o/s200/89826.png" width="111" /></a>The all-important question of what to drink with your Christmas Pudding. For me it has to be this incredible PX Sherry, steeped in history and general deliciousness. Alfonso Valdespino one of 24 knights who fought to protect the city of Jerez under King Alfonso X and was rewarded with this vineyard by the King in 1264 - plenty of time to perfect the wine! Each bottle of the "El Candado" is locked with a small padlock in memory of one of the Head Winemakers, who used to lock the barrels because the wine was so good. A lovely bit of theatre at the table in allowing one of the guests the honour of unlocking the bottle. </div>
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The grapes are raisined in the sun, fortified to 17% and then aged in Solera for an average of 10 years. The result is an intense, fruity, nutty, caramel-y glass of utter bliss - figs, raisins, dates, treacle, caramel, roasted nuts, cigar box and a touch of dark roast coffee - just everything you would want in, on or alongside your Christmas pud (try all three variations!).</div>
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<a href="http://www.rannochscott.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?WD=valdespino&PN=Valdespino-El-Candado-PX%2ehtml#SID=32" target="_blank">Rannoch Scott</a> - £8.59</div>
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<b>Graham's<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>30 Year Old Tawny, Douro, Portugal<span class="" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULPpW9Bd_cG_doVg7Cto04rrRa18q0ZFb_uvQSwKl0dIk6AIceStdPpiqvYi8jttRyMVBXbRXo6XUVgBZj74iMsCjosF2SWl2XZ7VLZz0aipoRgoiYofWNOMLpG1ESsDKJWLqmkMczV8/s1600/port_gra10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULPpW9Bd_cG_doVg7Cto04rrRa18q0ZFb_uvQSwKl0dIk6AIceStdPpiqvYi8jttRyMVBXbRXo6XUVgBZj74iMsCjosF2SWl2XZ7VLZz0aipoRgoiYofWNOMLpG1ESsDKJWLqmkMczV8/s200/port_gra10.jpg" width="150" /></a>Cheese and port is the only way to finish off the festivities. I'm a big fan of Tawny and think that the nuttiness works ever so well with good cheese. But why <a href="http://www.grahams-port.com/" target="_blank">Graham's </a>over any other? Well, firstly and most importantly it's personal taste, but if it helps <a href="http://www.grahams-port.com/" target="_blank">Graham's</a> is the only British port house still independently owned by a single family and one of the only houses to still have its own cooperage team. I recently picked up the <a href="http://www.grahams-port.com/wines/wood-aged-ports/aged-tawnies#slider/3" target="_blank">30 year old Tawny</a> for a (relative) steal online on the back of a monster 19-point score from Jancis Robinson and it certainly doesn't disappoint! </div>
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The orange rind character typically associated with younger aged Tawny has mellowed out somewhat. Deliciously savory walnut gives balance to sweet fig, honey, butterscotch and enough dried festive fruit to keep Christmas going for a good while to come. Decadent, indulgent and the ideal way to finish your Christmas Day.</div>
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<a href="http://www.winedirect.co.uk/grahams-30-year-old-tawny-nv" target="_blank">Wine Direct</a> - £49.95</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-27885458371333535212015-06-20T16:59:00.002+01:002015-06-21T10:08:09.492+01:00Left feeling a little RAW...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnwMV0E5k2H1kR-Eo51smk3EnD_qPV3Znp9o7-hB6upqsfsen_YxD2R0BDOFX8FUAAblxJ64xqYVdsvSnO-0NIzcqOigbjyKy_Ft2TdNVh-q-aG8L1PKAyJ_4gNC2KRjoCygOQHHcUq8/s1600/rawtrade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnwMV0E5k2H1kR-Eo51smk3EnD_qPV3Znp9o7-hB6upqsfsen_YxD2R0BDOFX8FUAAblxJ64xqYVdsvSnO-0NIzcqOigbjyKy_Ft2TdNVh-q-aG8L1PKAyJ_4gNC2KRjoCygOQHHcUq8/s200/rawtrade.jpg" width="178" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The second of my wine excursions to London in May was a real eye-opener. Wanting to broaden my knowledge, I signed up to attending the <a href="http://www.rawfair.com/" target="_blank">RAW Artisan Wine Fair</a> and having never tried natural wine before, I naively assumed it would just be like buying an organic courgette - tastes like a normal courgette, just give it a good rinse first!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvCtOHJR9c-UNkw7kZ554oknb993kosp9AhT15v05PBzhtsLUi77AlgkRxbew2OY1bZricEIrqqHJyB9-RRFVFfh9nzB1y1na_ZFRXr2RKtsadAi2KEbJzs9c6wSBywbEWTy3q6LElpA/s1600/11204474_10155521286000623_8879653660819169776_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjio9HZEyK1aQzd2dGLOIjonFksrpjVs9MyPFMnkGOgRvKAwNO5e5abtwwnCbMCe2miq603gcxHbLOtKjQ5NhHTaoqPsY5KjY5xGtDx2x9gP3O1LPERGdvfZbp6G5ww0HlgX65xw4P4avg/s1600/10610745_10152836861317460_2382223493874792709_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6VoIfuEAHlqvt3sGrpIckOE9nsvkwVL09U-Mz-HBUydLh82TaHr_NuPSuS_Lih8Bmx_a46rrZ1Mmhco67WM6TxkDm_DemRl31Q4-HA3esumfUIAdKpwoMnqLWSBypApsm-M7fEVgfGs/s1600/georgium-wein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWsAd96MQXrPms-m22h_gSf-B4IokH2rNjOh_eWOusqk0SaYq9xPFCfv8ecVuccQTYcxh7dLTFAIvpEIOYy0BdTG7BYUYEL2YOL6FE4h6hyZSBJnfpvevyYk7PcpI_D-9ha4UZRspJwM/s1600/96zin_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCDdRuxsgxLzs-x1_aTyxX7XBvkDUuGZfdTQRp6cCGJrTFtw3j8LSMkBPcnHsDd7CYSYupUoFIzTUK53pIwrxd6o35HheHaqBKQiCrltSLewIL5h1s9CD4h6oPP0Gj4Q638ZL_7bc0fg/s1600/3750-05_NV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvghyphenhyphendMqpQV5CZNPjby9oJD6xu3vLfyqtrdlDWaNXlsO5MUEkms7nc-bxNv-BnQu4HDFueQfJ9pah5VjA7R-jq8esJb9kg25cpf05lEKSTd3lnQzIJ6ix3q4rU_qF7fMCuLrVdnYSGOhg/s1600/zin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the strictest sense of the word, natural wine means that nothing is added to or removed from the wine during the wine making process - no sulphites, finings, filtration, sugars, foreign yeast, staves, chips or pH adjustments. In my mind - no way of maintaining a consistent product. That can be explained away in a retail environment in some flowery way like "each wine has its own character", but the lack of anything to preserve the wine and stop its oxidation means that every bottle is extremely volatile. The RAW Fair, created by natural wine pioneer <a href="http://www.thatcrazyfrenchwoman.com/" target="_blank">Isabelle Legeron MW</a>, aims to bring together the best examples of these natural wines from around the world.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvCtOHJR9c-UNkw7kZ554oknb993kosp9AhT15v05PBzhtsLUi77AlgkRxbew2OY1bZricEIrqqHJyB9-RRFVFfh9nzB1y1na_ZFRXr2RKtsadAi2KEbJzs9c6wSBywbEWTy3q6LElpA/s1600/11204474_10155521286000623_8879653660819169776_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvCtOHJR9c-UNkw7kZ554oknb993kosp9AhT15v05PBzhtsLUi77AlgkRxbew2OY1bZricEIrqqHJyB9-RRFVFfh9nzB1y1na_ZFRXr2RKtsadAi2KEbJzs9c6wSBywbEWTy3q6LElpA/s200/11204474_10155521286000623_8879653660819169776_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The biggest issue that I immediately noticed was <i>where</i> RAW chose to bring these wines together. Yes, the <a href="http://www.trumanbrewery.com/" target="_blank">Old Truman Brewery</a> on Brick Lane is hip and edgy just like the wine on display, but the venue had no air conditioning - a disaster waiting to happen with such fragile wine. Walking into the brewery I joked "it's like a greenhouse in here, that can't be good for the wine?...". Secondly, and I appreciate that it was Brick Lane - the venue was crawling with smartly-dressed, but extremely imposing and intimidating security. It made the whole atmosphere very uncomfortable. It's a wine tasting... Compared to the <a href="http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/trade/ewp-trade-and-press-tasting/" target="_blank">EWP tasting</a> the previous week, <a href="http://ajurkiw.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/english-pub-english-wine.html" target="_blank">which I've already blogged about</a>, it was such a contrast. In my opinion, it was just an epic, epic mistake on venue selection by the organisers. It has to be said though, that the atmosphere was absolutely buzzing, with everyone seemingly excited to be involved in such a successful event. So many of the producers were incredibly passionate about their product and extremely eager to chat, in a much more approachable and real way than at a stereotypical wine event.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of the producers that I spoke to were seeking wholesale representation in the UK, which I can see being a real struggle for them under the conditions provided. Their product will spoil quickly if stored at too high a temperature and in my opinion they're already fighting a losing battle with the wine's presentation already questionable, being unfined and unfiltered. I just can't get my head around who would buy these wines in a commercial setting and as such, why these producers would cripple their opportunities in the marketplace by making it. Based on my experience at the RAW Fair, I certainly wouldn't be confident in selling any natural wine at <a href="http://www.thewingerworth.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Wingerworth</a>. I'd say that at least half of the wine that I tried was oxidised to the point of being undrinkable (or certainly unsalable). I'd say that an <i>extremely </i>generous 5% was mildly enjoyable. The rest had an underlying oxidised taste of wet cardboard [thanks to my principal wine supplier, Peter Bamford of <a href="http://www.modernfrenchwine.co.uk/" target="_blank">Modern French Wine</a> for the tasting note!]. Aside from the "wet cardboard" note, Peter also suggested that "bruised apple" is a good indicator of oxidation. Very interesting - looking back at my notes I saw that particular descriptor had cropped up an alarming amount. In fact, our "wine guy" Simon suggested that for the most part if they had been put next to a decent scrumpy from Devon, he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Indeed, after returning home a lengthy and surprisingly passionate debate on the event and natural wine in general ensued via email between myself, Peter and our Simon. Similarly, a slightly shorter and less intense discussion fired up on Vivino. Generally I think people "get it" - "it" being the idea and reasoning behind natural wine. It's all about going back to the basics of winemaking, using techniques used before science and technology [dare I say it] improved production methods. The process of winemaking has evolved over hundreds of years and I was actually surprised to learn that the wines of the previous century were generally far more heavily sulphited than modern wine. The problem is that although the intention is good, the wine is generally just not good enough.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dare I quote Peter? I'll quote Peter. I have his permission...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">This sort of wine is insane. It goes off if it ever goes above 15 degrees C. For even the apparently-tasty ones, age them a few months and they'll have gone off too. For restaurant environments (warm storage), they're all the more insane. Therefore you shouldn't worry about getting these sorts of wines from me - I avoid them like the plague! They're a horrible blight on the industry though; particularly afflicting many good growers in my beloved Beaujolais. What a terrible waste!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Based on my limited experience of natural wine at this event, I honestly can't say that I disagree. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now just to provide balance, I did mention that there were a handful of enjoyable wines on display. The pick of the crop for me were two Californian producers and Seresin Estate from New Zealand. That said, one English producer that I liked did mention that they hadn't been entirely truthful with regard to the entry requirements for the event - I'd have like to include them in my Top 5, but if they're not legit...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjio9HZEyK1aQzd2dGLOIjonFksrpjVs9MyPFMnkGOgRvKAwNO5e5abtwwnCbMCe2miq603gcxHbLOtKjQ5NhHTaoqPsY5KjY5xGtDx2x9gP3O1LPERGdvfZbp6G5ww0HlgX65xw4P4avg/s1600/10610745_10152836861317460_2382223493874792709_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjio9HZEyK1aQzd2dGLOIjonFksrpjVs9MyPFMnkGOgRvKAwNO5e5abtwwnCbMCe2miq603gcxHbLOtKjQ5NhHTaoqPsY5KjY5xGtDx2x9gP3O1LPERGdvfZbp6G5ww0HlgX65xw4P4avg/s200/10610745_10152836861317460_2382223493874792709_n.jpg" width="58" /></a><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Balciolo, Valdonica Toscana Riserva, Tuscany, Italy, 2012</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dr Martin Kerres founded this winery "by accident" when searching for a Tuscan summer home. He fell in love with the small town of Maremma and now aims to produce the best wine in the region. His young Sangiovese wines were planted in 2009 and have a surprising depth of flavour and character. The vineyard's location high on a Tuscan hillside overlooking the Mediterranean benefits from plenty of sun as well as cool sea breezes. Cherry, raspberry, redcurrant and cranberry on the palate, with a peppery, spicy, vanilla finish and chewy tannins. The wine is biological and organic, but does benefit from 28mg/L of sulphites and filtration - possibly explains why I liked it. Previous vintages have raked in awards and to be honest, the bottle would look pretty sexy on a shelf. That said, I'd have probably scored higher if their representative (I believe Director of Sales) wasn't the most miserable man I've ever come across.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6VoIfuEAHlqvt3sGrpIckOE9nsvkwVL09U-Mz-HBUydLh82TaHr_NuPSuS_Lih8Bmx_a46rrZ1Mmhco67WM6TxkDm_DemRl31Q4-HA3esumfUIAdKpwoMnqLWSBypApsm-M7fEVgfGs/s1600/georgium-wein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6VoIfuEAHlqvt3sGrpIckOE9nsvkwVL09U-Mz-HBUydLh82TaHr_NuPSuS_Lih8Bmx_a46rrZ1Mmhco67WM6TxkDm_DemRl31Q4-HA3esumfUIAdKpwoMnqLWSBypApsm-M7fEVgfGs/s200/georgium-wein.jpg" width="91" /></a><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Blanc de Noirs, <a href="http://www.georgium.at/indexen.html" target="_blank">Weingut Georgium</a>, Karnten, Austria, 2012</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone should know by now that I like a cheeky BdN and this was the pick of the event for me. I headed over to the Georgium stand after a recommendation from our GM James, who said this wine was worth a taste. Aside from the wine being good, it looks from their <a href="http://www.georgium.at/indexen.html" target="_blank">website</a> as though the winery would be a great place to spend a weekend! Producing purely from Burgundian varietals, their BdN contains no sulphites and is produced using only traditional methods. The red fruit comes through in the form of tart raspberry and a hint of under-ripe strawberry. High acidity also gives a citrus and gooseberry edge, creating a wine that would be perfect to sip outside under the warm summer sun.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWsAd96MQXrPms-m22h_gSf-B4IokH2rNjOh_eWOusqk0SaYq9xPFCfv8ecVuccQTYcxh7dLTFAIvpEIOYy0BdTG7BYUYEL2YOL6FE4h6hyZSBJnfpvevyYk7PcpI_D-9ha4UZRspJwM/s1600/96zin_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWsAd96MQXrPms-m22h_gSf-B4IokH2rNjOh_eWOusqk0SaYq9xPFCfv8ecVuccQTYcxh7dLTFAIvpEIOYy0BdTG7BYUYEL2YOL6FE4h6hyZSBJnfpvevyYk7PcpI_D-9ha4UZRspJwM/s200/96zin_0.jpg" width="70" /></a><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Estate Zinfandel, <a href="https://www.coturriwinery.com/" target="_blank">Coturri Winery</a>, Sonoma Mountain, California, USA, 1996</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The age of this bottle goes against everything I've discussed earlier in this blog - if truly un-sulphited how do they do it? It was actually very enjoyable! The vineyard was first planted in 1967 and its unique position high on Sonoma Mountain ensures slightly cooler temperatures in the summer and conversely slightly milder winters due to the South-Easterly exposure. Incidentally, we also tried their 1987(!) Estate Zinfandel and 1980(!!!) New Vine Cabernet Sauvignon, both of which would have made my Top 10 had there been one, but for my palate were slightly too old to hit the Top 5. Being used to relatively young Zinfandel, the palate took me by surprise. This Zinfandel was smoky and slightly earthy, with a honeyed raisin nose. The palate had more raisin, along with plum, red cherry, raspberry, and herbs, leading to a slight spice on the finish, with a hint of old leather, more smoke and cured meat. The tannin was medium to high and slightly chewy. All round a very interesting and interesting aged Zinf. It's true that sulphites will have dampened all of these flavours that were bursting through - a great example of how to do natural wine properly.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCDdRuxsgxLzs-x1_aTyxX7XBvkDUuGZfdTQRp6cCGJrTFtw3j8LSMkBPcnHsDd7CYSYupUoFIzTUK53pIwrxd6o35HheHaqBKQiCrltSLewIL5h1s9CD4h6oPP0Gj4Q638ZL_7bc0fg/s1600/3750-05_NV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCDdRuxsgxLzs-x1_aTyxX7XBvkDUuGZfdTQRp6cCGJrTFtw3j8LSMkBPcnHsDd7CYSYupUoFIzTUK53pIwrxd6o35HheHaqBKQiCrltSLewIL5h1s9CD4h6oPP0Gj4Q638ZL_7bc0fg/s200/3750-05_NV.jpg" width="60" /></a><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. "Rachel" Pinot Noir, <a href="http://seresin.co.nz/" target="_blank">Seresin Estate</a>, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2012</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The guys at Seresin had four Pinot Noirs on show and the quality was evident throughout, but the "Rachel" blend really stood out for me. Robert Parker has actually given the 2010 vintage 90 points and the wine has stood up well with all of the top critics. Located in the Wairau Valley near Marlborough, we get all of the expected nuances of wines from this corner of New Zealand. Light in body, with high acidity and lots of fruit. Whereas the "Tatou" PN was bigger, deeper and more earthy, I thought that the "Rachel" was more approachable, easy-drinking and fruity - the things I guess most people look for in a New Zealand Pinot. The nose was sweet and fruity, predominantly ripe strawberries with a touch of plum. More strawberry on the palate, along with red cherry, redcurrant and a touch of pepper and lots of spice from the oak. Seresin's range is currently for sale at <a href="http://www.winedirect.co.uk/seresin-estate" target="_blank">Wine Direct</a>, but at the price I wouldn't say they are exceptional value for money.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Zinfandel, <a href="http://oldworldwinery.com/" target="_blank">Old World Winery</a>, Russian River Valley, California, USA, 2009</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvghyphenhyphendMqpQV5CZNPjby9oJD6xu3vLfyqtrdlDWaNXlsO5MUEkms7nc-bxNv-BnQu4HDFueQfJ9pah5VjA7R-jq8esJb9kg25cpf05lEKSTd3lnQzIJ6ix3q4rU_qF7fMCuLrVdnYSGOhg/s1600/zin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvghyphenhyphendMqpQV5CZNPjby9oJD6xu3vLfyqtrdlDWaNXlsO5MUEkms7nc-bxNv-BnQu4HDFueQfJ9pah5VjA7R-jq8esJb9kg25cpf05lEKSTd3lnQzIJ6ix3q4rU_qF7fMCuLrVdnYSGOhg/s1600/zin.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is it just coincidence that another Californian Zinfandel has made it into this list - is it where my tastes lie, or is it just that the guys over in Western California are leading the way in this style of wine? Either way, I thought this wine was delicious. In fact, it was the only wine of the day that I went back for a second taste. The winemaker, Darek Trowbridge, was such a character and extremely eager to tell us about his wines. His whole selection was great and I need to particularly mention the 2010 Abourious, which at $55 on his own website shows how regarded these wines are. His Zinfandel, however was the star of the show for me. Fresher and fruitier than the 1996 Coturri above, the palate was full of darker blackberry and black cherry flavours, along with sweet tobacco, baking spice and rounded with nice, chewy tannin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Natural wine really isn't for everyone. It's a gamble, but I suppose everyone loves an occasional gamble and in the instance of the above examples it really paid off. It's interesting, it's different and it's raw, just as the name of the event suggests. It has attracted a whole new audience to the world of wine - a younger audience, and that's not a bad thing. Unfortunately the wine itself is also incredibly fragile, it's temperamental and it's too often, well, bad... I leave the RAW Wine Fair with a much greater knowledge of natural wine and although I'd never turn down a taste or a sample, I feel that it's just too much of a risk to buy, whether for myself or for the pub. Whilst I understand the concept and though process behind natural wine, I just can't get my head around why anyone would actually produce it</span>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-4812051900663220112015-06-15T08:32:00.001+01:002015-06-16T08:44:22.433+01:00English Pub, English Wine!So I've not blogged for a good 5 months now, it's about time I got going again!... An exceptionally busy Christmas at <a href="http://www.thewingerworth.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Wingerworth</a> was followed by having our first baby at the end of January, then moving house just 5 weeks later. The past few months can be described using every emotion imaginable, more often than not paired with incomprehensible exhaustion. But it's all good, because there's been plenty of wine along the way!<br />
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I've got so much to write about but my return to blogging has to begin with something that I've grown incredibly passionate about - English wine. Although I've tried a fair bit of the stuff over the past few years, my eyes were truly opened during my visit to London in May, to attend the <a href="http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/" target="_blank">English Wine Producers</a> Trade and Press Tasting. Aside from brushing shoulders with some of the industry's big-wigs, I was privileged to try around 120 delicious English wines, some of which were just stunning. Genuine world-beaters! I have, of course, uploaded the majority of my tasting notes to Vivino now, but having been blown away by the quality on show I was disappointed to find that English wine was not a recognised style on the app. Since then I've started a small crusade to raise awareness and even created a <a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/make-english-wines-a-recognised-regional-style-on/" target="_blank">petition</a> to be presented to Vivino at some point in the not too distant future. Please do show your support!<br />
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There were so many brilliant examples and styles represented at the EWP tasting, it was difficult to choose favourites. But I've done it and here are my <b>Top 10 English Wines of 2015</b>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXRLHzJU-PhyphenhyphenUwsqlJy36B1Lenp_6s9NulR4_jn966op2U-RhCdYaVn-sqblLLVswjxw5cpPzV5we0wBCjXgDIykAdFntOvBbqgZrW37HAzwew1LHs2djgc13zlWDGd77jXKm6sdZ6z0/s1600/denbies-juniperhill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXRLHzJU-PhyphenhyphenUwsqlJy36B1Lenp_6s9NulR4_jn966op2U-RhCdYaVn-sqblLLVswjxw5cpPzV5we0wBCjXgDIykAdFntOvBbqgZrW37HAzwew1LHs2djgc13zlWDGd77jXKm6sdZ6z0/s200/denbies-juniperhill.jpg" width="170" /></a><b>10. <a href="http://www.denbies.co.uk/" target="_blank">Denbies</a> Wine Estate, Juniper Hill, NV</b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://bowlandwines.co.uk/product/denbies-juniper-hill/" target="_blank">Bowland Wines</a> - £12.95</span></b><br />
If you like crisp, grassy Sauvignon Blanc this is the wine for you. Nestled in the Surrey countryside, I actually visited the winery when I lived own that way whilst studying at <a href="http://www.tantemarie.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tante Marie</a>. It's nice to think that I probably walked between the vines that bore this wine, but Juniper Hill makes the list on its own merit, not just nostalgia. In terms of single varietals, Bacchus was the most represented at the event, but aside from Bolney's offering, I found them to be too austere and tart. This blend of 40% Bacchus with 60% Ortega was lovely - in fact, it has just picked up an IWSC silver medal! Some might be surprised to find that the blend results in SB-like qualities, as Bacchus is actually a hybrid of the Germanic grapes Silvaner, Riesling and Muller-Thurgau and Ortega is Muller-Thurgau crossed with Siegerrebe. It's the cooler British climate that brings higher acidity and "green" notes to the wine. Juniper Hill is highly floral, with lots of freshly cut grass, herbs, tart gooseberry and a long, fresh finish. The high acidity is mouth-puckering, but not at all astringent.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UZ_PM_gaij72la14jljmbgsmLEYYT8bKrCOj5LbkGXwBOcoK_9CiDdLFxkZx_8sJVDyb2I8taiZ9ELyck_24FT3ppFNrHi6X5BYQ95ZBKvK1ya6WAneGhPMMaHecRLK3ePyD1fyY2EU/s1600/Pinot-Gris-English-White-Wine_H750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UZ_PM_gaij72la14jljmbgsmLEYYT8bKrCOj5LbkGXwBOcoK_9CiDdLFxkZx_8sJVDyb2I8taiZ9ELyck_24FT3ppFNrHi6X5BYQ95ZBKvK1ya6WAneGhPMMaHecRLK3ePyD1fyY2EU/s200/Pinot-Gris-English-White-Wine_H750.jpg" width="51" /></a><b>9. <a href="https://www.bolneywineestate.com/index.php" target="_blank">Bolney Wine Estate</a>, Pinot Gris, 2014</b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.thewinesociety.com/shop/productdetail.aspx?section=pd&pd=EN841" target="_blank">The Wine Society</a> - £16.00</span></b><br />
When I think of Pinot Gris I long for rich oiliness, powerful spice, apples and a floral edge. Indeed, the trepidation I had with an English Pinot Gris is that it will lose all of that lovely elegance and opulence that distinguishes it from, well, Italian Pinot Grigio... However, Bolney's position just 14 miles from the South coast in Sussex gives an interesting topographical advantage to their wines. Close enough to benefit from sea breezes, whilst far enough to be slightly sheltered and far South enough to maximise on sunlight and warmth. What results is an almost Alsatian example, full of green apple, pear, waves of mountain flowers and a honeyed sweetness that is beautifully balanced by the high acidity. What I really like about this though, is just how easy-drinking it is. I've got a bottle waiting on the rack for a sunny day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8UawYHVv8G1yBjATQKwartA5DBe2lMuGmgZiCCfxBOqppfLAc-pSpFSnZdSyyjvaf7IbL-CX5XPcroRZLLhbf-hMqQ81zJhqWzwuu7Rt_6lJKlkh-QForXQJiVVhYDM5dXBTfvTQrJ4/s1600/421995_a_camel-valley-pinot-noir-brut.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8UawYHVv8G1yBjATQKwartA5DBe2lMuGmgZiCCfxBOqppfLAc-pSpFSnZdSyyjvaf7IbL-CX5XPcroRZLLhbf-hMqQ81zJhqWzwuu7Rt_6lJKlkh-QForXQJiVVhYDM5dXBTfvTQrJ4/s200/421995_a_camel-valley-pinot-noir-brut.jpeg" width="192" /></a><b>8. <a href="http://www.camelvalley.com/" target="_blank">Camel Valley</a>, White Pinot Noir Brut, 2011</b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.waitrosecellar.com/all-wines/popular-regions/camel-valley-pinot-noir-brut" target="_blank">Waitrose Cellar</a> - £28.99</span></b><br />
Camel Valley are one of the "big boys" on the English wine scene and have been producing award-winning wine for decades at their gorgeous Cornwall vineyard. If you're ever in the area, their tours are highly recommended. I have a real soft spot for Blanc de Noirs. Whilst I do love Chardonnay, it's not for every occasion and there's something pleasing about getting a hint of sweet, ripe strawberry in your fizz, which is dampened down in a Classic Cuvee. As a 100% Pinot Noir, this BdN is surprisingly rich on the nose, with luscious strawberries and cream on the palate. If you're choosing a fizz to accompany Wimbledon-viewing, this has to be the one! Elegant, with a fine mousse and a hint of white pepper on the long, long finish. What an absolute delight of a wine!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBthRrlcCKnRweQIbE2HK08kXTBhJbFIV8OcPjlMovEEWNUWNniE9qD04_N7mYM8CMX5y_1f5iesd-AxQSYe2KQkb-ZBtB4jfBRyMVJTCp323PgYm0zBuvXhZgxe_dNo8oQa5wxytHYa8/s1600/astley-late-harvest-2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBthRrlcCKnRweQIbE2HK08kXTBhJbFIV8OcPjlMovEEWNUWNniE9qD04_N7mYM8CMX5y_1f5iesd-AxQSYe2KQkb-ZBtB4jfBRyMVJTCp323PgYm0zBuvXhZgxe_dNo8oQa5wxytHYa8/s200/astley-late-harvest-2011.jpg" width="50" /></a><b>7. <a href="http://www.astley-vineyards.co.uk/" target="_blank">Astley Vineyards</a>, Late Harvest 2014</b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://hoppocketwine.co.uk/astley-late-harvest/" target="_blank">Hoppocket Wine</a>, £16.19 (37.5cl)</span></b><br />
Oh that's right, I've recommended a little-known English dessert wine! There were three on offer at the EWP Tasting and this was just stunning. What I like about Astley is that they're understated - exclusive you might say! With no website or online shop, they rely on reputation, word of mouth and the steady stream of awards that they keep winning year upon year. But that's fine, because their ethos is all about quality - using low yields to consistently make top quality wine. Based just North of Worcester, all production happens at nearby Three Choirs Vineyard. This Late Harvest wine is 100% Siegerrebe (Madeleine Angevine crossed with Gewurztraminer). What results is a generally low-acid wine, though some acid does creep through as a result of the cooler climate in the UK - not that this is a problem, because I think it creates a great balance to the wine. As expected with Gewurz, delicious aromas and flavours of lychee are prominent. In this instance accompanied by honeysuckle, candied lemon peel, ripe pear and a beautiful floral honey finish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfr2tg2e2lNZ2v29217b1IU8NLUzdDrOrM1q1O-FFl4OQecz_TmrIUvlW-BtAgy4PUjM19fbIMh77C8TFvdfjzb4toYFBfj9BwequfTs6itDQVwxg9APtvpNUK9aoDdUTgBQL4eQyDWs4/s1600/IMG_2685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfr2tg2e2lNZ2v29217b1IU8NLUzdDrOrM1q1O-FFl4OQecz_TmrIUvlW-BtAgy4PUjM19fbIMh77C8TFvdfjzb4toYFBfj9BwequfTs6itDQVwxg9APtvpNUK9aoDdUTgBQL4eQyDWs4/s200/IMG_2685.jpg" width="133" /></a><b>6. <a href="http://nyetimber.com/" target="_blank">Nyetimber</a>, Blanc de Blancs 2007</b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.bbr.com/products-18496-2007-nyetimber-blanc-de-blancs-sparkling-sussex" target="_blank">Berry Bros & Rudd</a>, £39.95</span></b><br />
This is the first of two wines from heavyweights Nyetimber to have snuck onto my Top 10 list. Whilst many raise an eyebrow at the price-point their wines command, it is clear when you compare them to the rest of the field that they are doing something truly special in their small corner of West Sussex. We added this wine to our list at <a href="http://www.thewingerworth.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Wingerworth</a> last year and it has been a huge hit with anyone who has tried it. Just to affirm how good it is, the 2007 BdB recently scooped an IWSC gold award. Being a BdB, it is of course 100% Chardonnay and the reason it scores so highly for me is the sophistication with which the grape shines through. The nose is so inviting - a rich buttered toast aroma, with Earl Grey tea and slight hints of yeast. On the palate traditionally British flavours of apples and elderflower join the party, along with nuts and buttered brioche on the long, complex finish. It's just a joy to drink a sparkling wine like this - it honestly makes me wonder why anyone buys Champagne! Speaking of which, just a quick note about their Classic Cuvee blend - although it <i>just</i> missed out on my Top 10 (mostly because I didn't want <i>three</i> Nytimber on there) it's on offer at <a href="http://www.waitrosecellar.com/english-wine/nyetimber-classic-cuvee" target="_blank">Waitrose</a> (£23.99) at the moment and out of this world value at that price!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdH0GAuoMzqQ4sSKTvXgvyNObYRClDJoxysmruL96xTC3nYWHWfOM_DWaAJXrzYJo-WllPId6wQQkoOq8Qqw15PqsD-e2kCJ0t-CvPIIpH3qCDTMa6UaTmRdZ022n4_QVpHwZqXeaeVeU/s1600/CA2407.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdH0GAuoMzqQ4sSKTvXgvyNObYRClDJoxysmruL96xTC3nYWHWfOM_DWaAJXrzYJo-WllPId6wQQkoOq8Qqw15PqsD-e2kCJ0t-CvPIIpH3qCDTMa6UaTmRdZ022n4_QVpHwZqXeaeVeU/s200/CA2407.png" width="58" /></a><b>5. <a href="http://www.hattingleyvalley.co.uk/" target="_blank">Hattingley Valley</a>, King's Cuvee 2011</b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.slurp.co.uk/champagne-sparkling-wine/english-sparkling-wine/45050-hattingley-valley-kings-cuvee-2011/" target="_blank">Slurp</a>, £63.99</span></b><br />
If Nyetimber are pushing the price-boundaries for English wine this King's Cuvee is certainly giving them a run for their money. So what makes this Hampshire wine so special? Well firstly it's a limited release, which will undoubtedly raise the price bar slightly. But most importantly, it's just very, very good! Unlike their Classic Cuvee (90% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Noir, 5% Pinot Meunier), the King Cuvee is a blend of 72 % Chardonnay, with 14% each of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. This gives the wine a bit more freshness and fruit, but that said, Hattingley Valley do seem to heavily-Chardonnay their wines. The good news is, I like that!... The nose is buttery as you'd expect, with apples, pear, hints of ripe stone fruit and fresh dough. I'd like to see a bit more age on it, but given the limited nature of its production, I'm not sure if much will remain in 4 years time for it to compete like-for-like with the Nyetimber. Do I like it? Oh, yes! Would I pay over £60? Errr....<br />
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<b>4. <a href="http://www.chapeldown.com/" target="_blank">Chapel Down</a>, Blanc de Noirs 2009</b><br />
So I said I had a soft spot for BdN and this is a top example for me. The annoying thing is that eager to purchase, I couldn't find it for sale anywhere online! In fact so rare is this wine at the moment, that I couldn't even find an image of the bottle!... Having chatted with a Vivino friend, I understand that it won't be released by Chapel Down until their 2008 Pinot Reserve (50% Pinot Noir, 50% Pinot Blanc) has all been sold. The Pinot Reserve itself is another great fizz, which might have slipped into the Top 10 and is currently on offer at <a href="http://www.majestic.co.uk/Chapel-Down-Pinot-Reserve-zid23291" target="_blank">Majestic</a> for £19.98, so there's really no excuse for us not to stock up an get our Summer drink on!... Back to the BdN - with 97% Pinot Noir and 3% Pinot Meunier, this fizz is a bit of a fruit-bomb. Whilst some producers concentrate their efforts on a very small core range (2-3 wines in some cases), Chapel Down have so many interesting and well-made varietals/blends in their portfolio. Again, I was only chatting to someone yesterday evening about their <a href="http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=7491" target="_blank">Flint Dry</a> (46% Chardonnay, 14% Reichensteiner, 12% Schonburger, 7% Huxelrebe, 7% Bacchus, 6% Muller-Thurgau, 5% Pinot Blanc and 3% Ortega) in particular, but just how consistently good their range is - I mean, who's mind works to make a blend like that?!... The BdN is full of delicious red fruit flavours - strawberry, raspberry and red cherry, with a fine mousse that spreads the flavours to every corner of the palate. In addition we get hints of green flavours including ripe lime and crisp green apple, leading to a slightly spiced finish. So what makes it stand out from the Camel Valley above? I think it's just more interesting and complex on the palate (whereas the CV is easier-drinking - both have their merits!...). Either way, I can't wait for this to be released.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQptc5ft0QgEuKf4z0mWA8Qxk79mwHY677L15dLySMOT0sGWyCZpdXHulCHIAiih4Of2qXZn2yoQ8v82Z7eGVbUJdjEeuWsjQ4DE50zk2Y8_avhJ3BHcdhvf6Ykg0Ed42ugTDyqlPo00/s1600/2920110160K.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQptc5ft0QgEuKf4z0mWA8Qxk79mwHY677L15dLySMOT0sGWyCZpdXHulCHIAiih4Of2qXZn2yoQ8v82Z7eGVbUJdjEeuWsjQ4DE50zk2Y8_avhJ3BHcdhvf6Ykg0Ed42ugTDyqlPo00/s200/2920110160K.jpg" width="135" /></a><b>3. <a href="http://www.wistonestate.com/" target="_blank">Wiston Estate</a>, Sparkling Rose 2011</b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.swig.co.uk/wines/wiston-estate-sparkling-rose-south-downs-2011" target="_blank">Swig</a>, £35.95</span></b><br />
Wiston were one of the surprise packages of the EWP event for me - their wines are consistently brilliant. In fact, their Brut only just missed out on a Top 10 spot for me. I'm not usually a fan of rose wine, but this pink fizz from West Sussex blew me away - it's hands down the best rose I've ever tried. So much care goes into everything at Wiston, it's not surprising that their wines end up as good as they are - just take a look at their website (and label story). It's one of those rare wine moments, where your jaw hits the floor, it all sinks in and then a big grin creeps across your face. You cannot help but smile, I challenge you! And I'm not the only one who feels this way - it's just casually picked up a Gold Decanter Award, as well as IWC Gold and Sommelier Wine Awards Gold... 57% Pinot Noir bangs in bundles of delicious fruit including sour cherry and raspberry, as well as adding a delicious spice to the finish. 33% Chardonnay adds richness and opulence without being overbearing - buttered brioche on the nose, with citrus folding its way into the complex palate. It's sublime, stunning, sexy, Summery and sophisticated! I've already put my neck on the line with the Nyetimber, but find me a better sparkling rose Champagne than this and I'll eat my hat! Unbelievable...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7bchAjKiyP50gmM9-VKHGHBRJ4zOUs4Fxc0ZfBLGv9Iu555-1yQS7hwBmTpZlBHwg3k2pcWtbl3Sw2g099B8N_PDBm7rFaqIrD-RNkSXROtEGTmNbNOen-VOUw5EJprnnVmOPMldIvQ/s1600/23029_p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7bchAjKiyP50gmM9-VKHGHBRJ4zOUs4Fxc0ZfBLGv9Iu555-1yQS7hwBmTpZlBHwg3k2pcWtbl3Sw2g099B8N_PDBm7rFaqIrD-RNkSXROtEGTmNbNOen-VOUw5EJprnnVmOPMldIvQ/s200/23029_p.jpg" width="66" /></a><b>2. <a href="http://nyetimber.com/" target="_blank">Nyetimber</a>, Demi-Sec NV</b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.majestic.co.uk/Nyetimber-Demi-Sec-zid23029?tracking=|searchterm:nyetimber" target="_blank">Majestic</a>, £25.98</span></b><br />
We're getting to the business-end of the list now and this second offering from Nyetimber stopped me in my tracks, just as the Wiston did above. OK so a Demi-Sec is hard to pair with a meal, but you could quite happily drink this at the start of your meal, at the end of your meal with a fruit-based dessert or basically any other time that you wanted... Made from 100% Chardonnay, this wine has all of the brioche, butter, toast and lemon that you'd expect, but this is folded in with almonds, stone fruit and did I detect a hint of pineapple? The high acidity cuts through the richness of the grape and provides perfect balance to the higher sugar content. I've used this word a few times today, but it's stunning. I've also got to say that Majestic are doing us a great service at the moment by giving us 33% off these incredible wines!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZjJFwvFtbOtfB6Kdhk2DJc5FPyW76i2D5SdIzR_SO8BwSpw7mlT5Qc0NwKwBGfbV3VWladfb5Fb8H8zXE36kiU_t6ZJc_59Untwyicei3CL98ktz4u6-W_DgypD8Hf5kFcQvMVrm4LA/s1600/871767_a_litmus-element-20.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZjJFwvFtbOtfB6Kdhk2DJc5FPyW76i2D5SdIzR_SO8BwSpw7mlT5Qc0NwKwBGfbV3VWladfb5Fb8H8zXE36kiU_t6ZJc_59Untwyicei3CL98ktz4u6-W_DgypD8Hf5kFcQvMVrm4LA/s200/871767_a_litmus-element-20.jpeg" width="192" /></a></div>
<b>1. <a href="http://www.litmuswines.com/" target="_blank">Litmus Wines</a>, Element 20 2012</b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.waitrosecellar.com/all-wines/wine-type/white-wine/litmus-element-20" target="_blank">Waitrose Cellar</a>, £16.99</span></b><br />
So my top wine - a still wine, not a fizz! This wine gets my top vote not only because it's exceptionally good, but because it completely took me by surprise. It's everything that I love in a white wine and I just wasn't expecting that an English producer could defy the British climate in producing a wine like this! It's rich, opulent, creamy, buttery, toasty and biscuit-y - just the things I look for when I'm searching for a good Californian Chardonnay. A carefully considered blend of 48% Chardonnay, 48% Bacchus and 4% Pinot Gris, this is the latest wine to find its way onto our list at The Wingerworth as part of a feature on "Our Favourite Wines". Praise indeed, but praise deserved!...<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="line-height: 107%;">The Chardonnay provides the bulk of the
richness, bringing an amazing buttered toast nose and a lovely oily mouthfeel,
along with a butterscotch sweetness to the finish. A refreshing mineral edge
comes from the Pinot Gris and Bacchus brings bundles of crisp apples and slight
acidity for great balance. The wine's name "Element 20", comes from the fact that the soil in which it's grown is rich in calcium, which also comes through on the finish. Oak ageing further enhances the flavour, adding a nutty edge and bringing all the flavours together. This is quite simply the best English wine you will find. Go on, treat yourself...</span></span><br />
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I feel so strongly about this, we've now got some serious world-beating fizz and white wine on our hands in the UK! I could only pick 10 favourites for this blog, but my original shortlist was 24-long. The EWP Trade Tasting left me with an enormous sense of pride for what British winemaking has achieved and how it is progressing in the wider world of wine. As a British pub, we felt that we were taking a bit of a gamble by adding a couple of English wines to our list over a year ago as a quirky feature, but it's much more serious than that now. Our "feature" has grown to 9 wines (certainly the most extensive offering in the area) and everyone who tries the wine loves them. Come on EWP, just as the cheeky chaps in California left Bordeaux stunned in '76 in the Judgement of Paris, let's sort out a Blind Tasting Competition against Champagne - let's get the cane out of the cupboard and give those boys across the Channel a damn good thrashing...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-64400893193847692342014-12-16T15:05:00.001+00:002014-12-16T15:09:03.246+00:00Restaurant Trends (and our plans) for the New YearWe're not even into the new year yet, but already I'm planning what to implement at <a href="http://www.thewingerworth.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Wingerworth</a> in 2015. Part of this process involves looking at forecasts for industry trends and how we can integrate some of those thing into what we do, in order to remain at the forefront of the hospitality industry. In 2014, three of the biggest trends were "hybrid"cuisine, continental-style sharing and "hip" or "quirky" wines. Of course, like all trends they have been going in and out of fashion for decades, but we really noticed a boom in them last year and at The Wingerworth we were excited to be able to implement them in one form or another in order to give our customers a truly modern gastro-pub experience.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWGGpSoWHxH-IkyeuTAfdKnS0m6abaDX72L1QsQ12LjOGUB-A3RbKNTum6KemPaYMrn4FAnLVgvdOO7clgkJV9faD0LNHN5C_kdr_Gpi-Vn4B8jEyYkGmegrx6B4OV9dibs7U0FKi0wk/s1600/Pork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWGGpSoWHxH-IkyeuTAfdKnS0m6abaDX72L1QsQ12LjOGUB-A3RbKNTum6KemPaYMrn4FAnLVgvdOO7clgkJV9faD0LNHN5C_kdr_Gpi-Vn4B8jEyYkGmegrx6B4OV9dibs7U0FKi0wk/s1600/Pork.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a>Although none of the leading chefs would admit to it, hybrid cuisine is indeed a hybrid of <i>fusion</i> food, which was huge in the 1990s. It is very simply the mixing of cuisines from different parts of the world. Many gastro-pubs opt to restrict themselves to a solely British menu, but I cannot understand the attraction or benefit of doing so with so much wonderful food out there in the world. That said, I would only consider these additions if they enhanced a dish or a menu - adding things for the sake of it is never a good idea. Throughout 2014 we've had some lovely hybrid dishes on our menu, one of my favourites being a <i>ras el hanout </i>rump of pork with polenta, courgette and pineapple. Even some of our pub classics have been garnished with a twist, such as the prawn cocktail with spicy avocado and Bloody Mary in April, the delicious five spice and honey glazed ham and eggs from the start of the year, or even the curry sauce that accompanied the fish, chips, crushed peas and cockles.<br />
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But hybrid cuisine was <i>so</i> 2014...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXllhujLOyqqcq3QlFcjvIqjel3PYhK-CsmVU1cupmzx3_znY_1unBLBxnXL5i-V1j5xF7I9qI5ztud_bN1M8BYR7WP0Us1Kd-T6Wc5EM2B_787YLOv9-Iupj3JPySQfDzQa-ovalIH5o/s1600/_DSC7655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXllhujLOyqqcq3QlFcjvIqjel3PYhK-CsmVU1cupmzx3_znY_1unBLBxnXL5i-V1j5xF7I9qI5ztud_bN1M8BYR7WP0Us1Kd-T6Wc5EM2B_787YLOv9-Iupj3JPySQfDzQa-ovalIH5o/s1600/_DSC7655.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>Sharing cuisine was also a big "thing" this year, with tapas in particular becoming really fashionable. That's not to say it won't continue to be so, it just won't be the "new thing" anymore. When we opened The Wingerworth I particularly wanted a sharing element to our pub menu, partly because of the trend and partly in homage to my time at <a href="http://www.ibericotapas.com/" target="_blank">Iberico</a>. We launched with three sharing platters on the menu - a seafood platter, a continental cured meat platter and an English Picnic board, which was by far the most popular. The great thing about sharing is that it's a more casual way of dining - you can pick at things as you chat over a lazy lunch with friends. We've also found that the sharing element works really well during our <a href="http://thewingerworth.co.uk/wine-club-chile/" target="_blank">monthly wine tastings</a>, where guests can have little bits here and there as they go through the guided wine tasting.<br />
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As for the quirky wines, well that's where we came into our element! I've spoken about this in greater detail in a previous blog on <a href="http://ajurkiw.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/wine-lists.html" target="_blank">Wine Lists</a>, so to prevent me from boring you by repeating myself, have a read if you haven't done so already!<br />
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So what's "in" in 2015?...<br />
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In 2015 we will be seeing three very specific influences on our food in restaurants. The first of these will reflect the change in preference on our palate towards the bitter end of the spectrum. This has largely evolved over recent years as a result of an increased fascination in the moreish, savoury fifth taste - <i>umami</i>. Although the notion of something similar to umami was first suggested in the early 1900s, it was only in 2009 that American scientists found proof of umami taste receptors on our tongues. Since then, media exposure peaked the interest of major food manufacturers, who have increased the balance of umami in certain products, particularly things like soups, sauces and ketchups. It is only fitting that in 2015 restaurants will be adjusting to changes in people's palates with heavily umami-ed or more bitter dishes, containing more of things like dark greens, bitter coffee or bitter chocolate, as well as mushrooms of course.<br />
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With this in mind, as well as keeping our food menu in line with the consumer's tastes, it was a great priority for us to find a great coffee supplier. In keeping with other recent trends they had to be relatively local and definitely artisan in their techniques, so in the end we decided to work with the wonderful guys at <a href="http://200degs.com/" target="_blank">200 Degrees</a>. They carefully source the finest coffee beans from around the world before hand roasting them at their headquarters in Nottingham, individually testing each batch before sending over to us at the pub. In roasting the coffee beans to 200 degrees farenheit, they take the roasting process to the "second crack" stage, which is about as bitter as you want to go without impeding the flavour of the coffee - perfect for the modern taste. Similarly our cocktail menu now includes a popular Espresso Martini and we have very recently added a Gin & Tonic Menu, with a selection of premium gins to tantalise the bitter taste-bud. These subtle changes keep us in line with the latest industry trends and in all honesty, our staff are pretty excited about the changes!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjww8JzaMW-LVLAQMKPquBJ9vhl7WuNQHf1qC48jTBgFVBM_1au2krtJVzFe_U6S8cGaa6saA2W6X-PoVwOwyA9SEK0T4811_5SHPOENMtZtoYSdCC6hwSFKTLlD6HlzU9z3BI_K85vY-o/s1600/10494642_970931710149_4032452274721857914_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjww8JzaMW-LVLAQMKPquBJ9vhl7WuNQHf1qC48jTBgFVBM_1au2krtJVzFe_U6S8cGaa6saA2W6X-PoVwOwyA9SEK0T4811_5SHPOENMtZtoYSdCC6hwSFKTLlD6HlzU9z3BI_K85vY-o/s1600/10494642_970931710149_4032452274721857914_n.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>We've had quirky wine last year, but second big thing in hospitality in 2015 is quirky food combinations. We humans get bored with eating the same stuff all the time. Equally, with the rise of social media we crave to try something weird that we can tell everyone about - whether it's good or bad, as long as we can be the centre of attention for just a moment. We're not just talking sweet/salty combinations here guys - we're talking full-on bonkers stuff! I don't know if it's the fact that our food sources are quickly depleting, or the influence of <i>"that"</i> horrendous celebrity social-experiment TV show in the Australian jungle, but the word on the street is that we may be seeing insects making their way onto our plates... I don't know if Chesterfield is quite ready for that yet, so perhaps we'll see how it goes down in London before giving it a try at The Wingerworth. Even so, I'm sure you will be seeing something a bit more unusual on our menu at some point during the year! We're already hearing that the Japanese beer-maker Kirin has released a range of salty soft drinks and these interesting flavour combinations will undoubtedly also find their way into our cocktails. If sweet/salty works with food, why not with drinks too?<br />
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The final (and in my opinion most interesting) advancement comes in the form of technology. There's just no getting away from it, but the question is <i>which</i> technology to implement and <i>when</i>? The big thing over the last, well, decade now really is the addition of ePOS tills. There's no doubt they make things so much simpler with their back-office reporting systems, but boy are they expensive and the till companies certainly do know how to exploit their market. I recently had a visit from a former employee, who is now a sales person for Apple-endorsed payment company <a href="https://www.zapper.com/" target="_blank">Zapper</a>. Their product allows customers to pay their bill via their mobile phone, with the addition of a financial incentive to the customer for signing up to the scheme. In theory it's a great idea - simple to use, practical and cutting-edge. After much [difficult] deliberation I did decide that we weren't quite ready for it yet. Partly because it's <i>so</i> new to the marketplace, but also because frankly the financials just didn't stack up - for a greatly increased operational cost, the product would not have brought us any additional revenue. Their major downfall is that they treat every transaction like a credit card, charging a [I will say very reasonable!] percentage of the transaction. However, that percentage of transaction will still undoubtedly be much, much higher than the set fee that I currently pay for debit card transactions, which do make up the majority of our PDQ payment split. Make no mistake though - paying through your mobile phone is coming and they will undoubtedly snare some slightly less clued-up operators, but I think they need to make some major base-level changes before it really takes off.<br />
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One thing that really does intrigue me is robot pubs. The single biggest overhead in a hospitality business is staff costs and every operator struggles monthly to keep this reigned in. One of the latest "things" in London is iPad-operated pubs such as the <a href="http://www.thethirstybear.com/" target="_blank">Thirsty Bear</a> or the <a href="http://thelazyfox.rpgpubs.com/" target="_blank">Lazy Fox</a>. Just imagine it - you sit at a table, the beer taps are at your disposal [increased sales?...], you order food and process payment through an iPad. It's quicker, it's easier and it's cheaper. With increasing pressure in the industry to increase salaries, incorporating technology in some way may be a way of making this step more affordable. That said, I do believe that people are a pub's biggest asset and with technology comes less available jobs! But how could we use an iPad in an effective way at The Wingerworth in 2015? My former boss David Perkins recently wrote a brief <a href="http://www.nottinghampost.com/David-Perkins-feedback-really-helps-restaurants/story-23711609-detail/story.html" target="_blank">article</a> in the Nottingham Evening Post on their use of iPads in gathering customer feedback at <a href="http://www.perkinsrestaurant.co.uk/" target="_blank">Perkins </a>and <a href="http://escabeche.co.uk/" target="_blank">Escabeche</a>. We currently use the archaic method of pen and paper and spend hours inputting and sifting through the data - I'm sure that a similar more technologically advanced system will be finding its way to The Wingerworth next year. We'd never have self-serve beer taps, but who knows - maybe an iPad-based menu with the option to place an order through it rather than waiting for a server <i>is</i> the way forward?<br />
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Whatever the New Year brings, I hope it is a happy and prosperous one for everyone involved in the hospitality industry. Happy New Year!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-81438622081403247832014-12-11T14:44:00.002+00:002014-12-11T14:44:42.582+00:00Ageing Ale<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfES9v_5-X1F_yqkduQCywMvljHCtceof-S4lkEG9-tqNqfUWClqr2d0NHdXet79XznmDjjC_xA152lriZC_oRGLMwaf2RLsVWH3QsaqVaCIhaVboUFOyj7eieovzX2eH1xhZD9DltCs/s1600/hibernationale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfES9v_5-X1F_yqkduQCywMvljHCtceof-S4lkEG9-tqNqfUWClqr2d0NHdXet79XznmDjjC_xA152lriZC_oRGLMwaf2RLsVWH3QsaqVaCIhaVboUFOyj7eieovzX2eH1xhZD9DltCs/s1600/hibernationale.jpg" height="200" width="161" /></a>I heard something very refreshing the other day, which got me thinking about ageing real ale - I was desperate to pull a cask of 5.5% winter warmer ale from <a href="http://www.northstarbrewery.co.uk/seasonal-ales.html" target="_blank">North Star</a> through the lines at the pub, basically because I was eager to try it [I'm not ashamed to say...]. A member of my staff almost physically stood between me and the cask and sternly told me that it needed more time, because it had only had 24 hours stillaging and 24 hours venting. He was right - higher ABV beers do need longer to settle and to vent, with the process being very similar to the idea of decanting in wine. In my opinion keeping a good real ale cellar is the single most difficult thing that you can do in a pub. It may seem a bit crazy, but each ale does have it's own personality and temperament; some will be <i>angry</i> and fizz out at you when you tap the barrel, some will be <i>stubborn</i> and require a longer venting time to bring out the flavour. Just like people, they don't like it when it's too hot or too cold, as this will either speed up or stop the natural fermentation process.<br />
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The most difficult part of cellarmanship to perfect is the venting process - too much and you're left with flat beer and too little and the ale will be too fizzy, almost like lager. In the case of higher ABV beer, it does requires longer to vent and release the excess carbon dioxide so my diligent staff member was absolutely right to stop me in my tracks. But cellarmanship and the venting process isn't the real concern of this blog - I'd like to talk about really <i>ageing</i> beers. When bottled, brewers will happily put a best before date a year or two into the future on it, but when in cask 3 months is probably the most that you will see. According to the guys at the <a href="http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/brewingscience/index.aspx" target="_blank">Brewing Sciences</a> department at the University of Nottingham, there shouldn't really be much difference - both are sealed, airtight containers that have been cleaned and sterilised just before filling. I'm just going to put it out there that the difference is simply that a bottle is disposable, whereas a brewer wants his cask back to refill as soon as possible...<br />
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Even after a year or more, beer won't go off as such, it will just taste <i>different. </i><br />
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Some people make an artform of ignoring the best before dates - they are so in tune with the beers that they sell, <i>they </i> will tell you when the beer is best. Must be a nightmare for brewers... Around Christmas-time all the "big" beers come out and I know of one particular pub in Nottingham, where the landlord will buy a cask of a particular ale around about now, for Christmas 2015. This Christmas he will be pulling through 2013's purchase. Why? Because just like wine, beer matures and mellows with age; it's highest and lowest notes will be smoothed out. This is particularly the case for bottle-conditioned beers [and casks], because the yeast is added at the very end of the manufacturing process - the longer it has to work with the beer, the more it will impart flavour. Just as with spirits, higher ABV beers will have a "hot" top note from the higher alcohol content, which will mask the other flavours if it isn't left to mellow with time.<br />
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So which beers are best to mature? Well in my experience heavily malted beers are best. Although hops are partly added to beer to act as a preservative, the flavour of the hops fades relatively quickly so it is arguably a bit of a waste to mature heavily-hopped ales. Generally it needs to be higher ABV because the alcohol acts as a preservative too, so we're talking strong, dark ales - porters, imperial stouts or even barley wine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2oG1ebZGwhxaowpBlYuHaWNC8OPCoGLii9F63VFCUlr28fbTO0znaxLNv2RHSBlJx7g5EavdGCBGo6apZhR4SzBO39pmPob6wBn83szkZyzqxu5HQOkNMzlyqJPKRQQl-xOIzGZI3qY/s1600/fullersvintage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2oG1ebZGwhxaowpBlYuHaWNC8OPCoGLii9F63VFCUlr28fbTO0znaxLNv2RHSBlJx7g5EavdGCBGo6apZhR4SzBO39pmPob6wBn83szkZyzqxu5HQOkNMzlyqJPKRQQl-xOIzGZI3qY/s1600/fullersvintage.jpg" height="152" width="320" /></a>One of my favourite annual traditions is to buy a mixed case of <a href="http://www.fullers.co.uk/content-library/articles/beer/vintage-ale-2014" target="_blank">Fuller's Vintage Ale</a>, which then<br />
becomes almost a scientifically detailed 'vertical tasting'. Some we drink almost immediately, but some go into storage for the following Christmas, or even several Christmases to come. Fuller's even recommend to try now, in five years and in ten years. If you don't mind splashing out a bit, there's a 'boxed' case, which looks prettier and gives you a few of the older vintages (back to 2006 this year), but costs £4.16 a bottle. For just £2.91 a bottle, you can buy an 'unboxed' mixed case that usually has two of the latest vintages. But in my opinion Vintage Ale needs to be at least 5-6 years old to be at its best, so you'd have to store these for a good few years yet.<br />
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Luckily, we've been amassing this festive treat for a number of years now, so I'll be trying the 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2012 vintages, just to provide a good comparison of how they mature with age. Fuller's do change the recipe slightly each year - using the year's best hops and malt, but the colour, bitterness and ABV of the beer remains the same. Bearing in mind that this is a really great beer to begin with, I've scored each one to the nearest 0.1 stars, rather than my usual 0.5 in order to differentiate between them more easily.<br />
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<b>Fuller's Vintage Ale, 2012:</b><br />
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This edition of Vintage Ale is brewed with a combination of Goldings, Sovereign and Target hops. From the Goldings we'd expect citrus (grapefruit or orange), from the Sovereign there will be a more savoury herby element and the Target will again add citrus and spice. Pouring the bottle I immediately noticed how fizzy it was and that the beer didn't hold it's head for particularly long indicating that in the ideal world, it isn't quite ready. There hasn't been enough time for oxidation to complete and for the beer to mellow. The nose is heavy - boozy raisin followed by marmelade and a hint of something like treacle with pepper and spice. On the palate the bitter marmalade hits immediately, before mellowing into a young (perhaps too young), peaty single malt with sultanas and raisins. Then bitter sweetness comes back in with treacle, marzipan and lingering finish of orange pith, raw spices and burnt caramel. Although it has great depth of flavour, the bitter top notes are still just far too strong in the 2012. Make no mistake, this is still a great, great beer, but I know what it <i>will </i>be with another 3-4 years - the caramel will add more sweetness the mouthfeel will be smoother, the bubbles will subside to make it less lager-like and the single malt will really come into its own.<br />
<b><i>Beer Score: 4.3 Stars</i></b><br />
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<b>Fuller's Vintage Ale, 2011:</b><br />
In the 2011 version, the Target hops are substituted with the even more heavily orange/marmalade First Gold hops. Although the beer was still fizzy, it was less so and the head retention was much better. This was partly due to the slightly higher viscosity of the beer as a result of longer maturation and gave the beer a much smoother and more opulent mouthfeel. Sadly, but somewhat interestingly, it had closed up just as wine does in stages of its maturation. It wasn't offering much, even with a good half an hour in the glass to aerate. The nose was particularly stubborn, but did offer a surprising over-ripe red apple aroma, along with something sweet and buttery - perhaps toffee. There was little citrus in the palate too, with the immediate flavours being apple, pear and sour cherry, followed by a sweet, peppery mandarin and peach finish, again with the burnt caramel element. There isn't really too much more to say about this one - let's leave it a year or two and see if it opens up again.<br />
<b><i>Beer Score: 2.5 Stars</i></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-16792215994010217432014-12-07T10:04:00.002+00:002014-12-07T10:04:20.499+00:00'Tis the Season (to be gorging on mince pies...)OK so gorging might be a bit strong, but I must confess I'm partial to a mince pie at this time of year. Best enjoyed with a small glass of tawny port after a hard day! Which gives me an excuse to get myself a glass of one of my favourite (and in my opinion best value) tawny's, strictly in the name of an informative review of course... And a mince pie.<br />
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I haven't blogged about port before, so I feel that a brief introduction is necessary. Port is a fortified wine, which is achieved by adding a grape spirit to it during the production process. As well as increasing the alcohol content in comparison to "regular" wine, it makes it more rich and smooth. Port is produced primarily from the indigenous Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca and Touriga Barroca grapes, which are grown on the mountainous eastern Douro Valley in Portugal. Just as with any wine, the unique terroir and climate of the area give the wine unique characteristics, which distinguish them from other fortified wines Madeira, Marsala, Sherry or Vermouth. It is then the different ageing and manufacturing processes that determine the characteristics of varying styles of port:<br />
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<ul>
<li>A Colheita is just a single vintage port, where instead of the number of years old it is (eg "10 Year"), it is marked with an actual vintage (eg "1997"). However, Colheitas should not be confused with Vintage Ports, which will have been bottled after 18 months of ageing. Colheitas may have been aged in oak for many more years.</li>
<li>Vintage Port is made entirely from grapes from a declared vintage year. It is often wrongly suggested that Vintage Port is only produced during exceptional years, but in actual fact it is declared in all but the <i>worst</i> years, or years where economic factors (such as recession or war) would make it difficult to market, export and sell. Vintage Port is only aged for two and a half years in oak, which means it requires another ten to forty years of ageing in the bottle. </li>
<li>Ruby Port is has the shortest and simplest manufacturing time and therefore generally commands a cheaper price. It is aged in concrete or stainless steel tanks to prevent oxidation during the ageing process and to preserve its rich claret red colour.</li>
<li>Late Bottle Vintage (LBV) Port was originally aimed to be a Vintage Port, but because of lack of demand it was left back to age for longer than planned. As a result of longer ageing in the barrel, LBV requires a shorter ageing time in the bottle than Vintage Port and is therefore ready to drink as soon as it is released.</li>
<li>Tawny Port is made from red grapes and matured in oak barrels for varying degrees of time, allowing a gradual oxidation and evaporation. The oak gradually transforms the wine from red to a "tawny" golden-brown colour and imparts nutty characteristics to the flavour profile.</li>
<li>Crusted Port is blended with grapes from several vintages and is not filtered before bottling, so requires decanting before being consumed. These ports are only released when ready to be consumed, so offer a more affordable alternative to those who do not have room to cellar it. One final interesting fact about Crusted Port, is that the date on the bottle is the date when the port was bottled, rather than the date when the grapes were grown.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQqdXwkK9q83BsHYYmp06rS0NWI5uNBSbWUuvG4pAl8bpG6b6ILMxGmE3yKxwFrqyBpXcyvVy6HvxVwUMfnqIuHaJw_I1kh7uF2R4E8gGzchWEfm3o9hT_YjYuyKmzP1dHitJkbPFeNU/s1600/16133_p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQqdXwkK9q83BsHYYmp06rS0NWI5uNBSbWUuvG4pAl8bpG6b6ILMxGmE3yKxwFrqyBpXcyvVy6HvxVwUMfnqIuHaJw_I1kh7uF2R4E8gGzchWEfm3o9hT_YjYuyKmzP1dHitJkbPFeNU/s1600/16133_p.jpg" height="200" width="66" /></a><b>Taylor's 10 Year Old Tawny:</b><br />
I always think it's worth spending a few pounds more on a decent tawny, but this one is currently on offer at <a href="http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/sherry-port-fortified-wine/taylors-10-year-old-tawny-port-75cl" target="_blank">Sainsbury's</a> for £18. And I'm just going to throw this out there - if you buy it as part of a mixed case of 6, they're only £13.50! We actually like this one so much that we stock it at <a href="http://www.thewingerworth.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Wingerworth</a>. The port itself is a blend of several vintages, which is then aged in oak for around ten years. The nose is full of jammy berries and plums, along with my favourite characteristic - rich, oily walnut. The palate is really smooth and leans more towards the darker fruit, but the walnut sweeps in to steal the show on the sweet, lingering finish. As well as mince pies, I love this port with a strong Stilton - absolute heaven.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.5 stars</i></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
So now to the pies...<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mr Kipling's:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The pastry was very pale and didn’t look as though it had
enough sugar on top. The mincemeat was very bitter, which overpowered the other
fruit, although the raisin did come through slightly. Again, it wasn’t sweet
enough to balance the bitterness and the overall flavour was quite bland with a
lack of spicing. The citrus bitterness also had a quite synthetic flavour, as
though a cheap essence had been used instead of real fruit. The pastry was very
dry and crumbly, with not enough butter and bland. Overall, a pretty
disappointing pie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Mince Pie Score: 1.5 stars</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Tesco Finest:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was a brown edge to the lid of the pastry, as though
it had been overcooked, but with plenty of sugar on top. The mincemeat was very
boozy, perhaps overly boozy, although surprisingly dry considering. The
predominant flavour was raisin, followed by good spices – mainly cinnamon. The
pastry was slightly dry from being overcooked but was quite rich and buttery
and there was a nice sweetness from the sugar topping.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Mince Pie Score: 3 stars</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Sainsbury's Taste the Difference:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The pie was a nice golden colour and evenly cooked at first
glance. The sweet, moist mincemeat was a real treat, with just the right amount
of alcohol in the raisins and a lovely orange peel undertone. There was also a
lovely amount of balanced spice, which hit you at the end leaving you with a
warm festive taste. The pastry was good – rich, buttery and crumbly, but
unfortunately was just a tiny bit undercooked on the bottom. The only other
minor criticism is that it was perhaps <i>too</i>
sweet throughout because of the restrained alcohol and bitterness.</div>
<b><i>Mince Pie Score: 4 stars</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
I still have many more pies to make a start on, but I will add reviews to this blog as I try them.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-69199939616535483462014-12-03T19:03:00.000+00:002014-12-16T15:12:37.340+00:00California Dreamin'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Inspired by Simon's recent <a href="http://simonpaulfranklin.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/zinfandel-all-american-hero.html" target="_blank">blog on Zinfandel</a> a few weeks back, I thought it was about time for me to blog about Californian wine. It has been suggested that I might be a fan of Californian wine on the odd occasion and it must be known that I <em>wasn't</em><i> <u>at all</u> </i>until about a year and three months ago. Sadly, because of the import costs, taxes and therefore retail prices of Californian wines, we aren't readily exposed to quality producers in the UK, so I had drawn my own assumptions that all Californian wine must be as disappointing as the dross I had previously found in my local supermarket. This blog is my discovery of Californian wine.<br />
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I have to pause for a moment to say it was absolutely the trip of a lifetime -<span id="goog_58764708"></span><span id="goog_58764709"></span> From seeing Cirque du Soleil and Penn & Teller in Vegas, to swimming with dolphins in San Diego, to taking in the sights, sounds and attractions of LA, followed by the Santas (Monica, Barbara and Maria), Malibu and staying with Rachael's great aunt Sue and uncle George in the Pacific Palisades. Then a complete contrast - the serenity and beauty of the landscape and wildlife driving up the stretch from San Luis Obispo, through Morro Bay, Cambria and Big Sur to Carmel. Finally, there was a half-week of gorging on Michelin-starred delights and watching the Americas Cup in San Francisco. It was just incredible. But the best and most surprising part was honestly the wine. We drank many wines, some not so great. But some really stick nostalgically to my mind.<br />
<br />
I could kick myself now - beginning the trip in LA, we spent the first week between there and Vegas and I must confess I passed up many opportunities to try local Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. I knew better than these "bloody Americans", whose wine lists were filled with nothing but American wine. So narrow minded of them... <i>[So narrow minded of me!...] </i>It was only when Rachael's Aunt Sue said "no, really, you need to try this" at their local Italian restaurant, <a href="http://www.casanostraristorantela.com/main/" target="_blank">Casa Nostra</a>, that I succumbed to a taste. It was a half-bottle of Chardonnay from "some local vineyard". I had no idea which producer at the time, but it just so happened to be <a href="http://www.aubonclimat.com/" target="_blank">Au Bon Climat</a>. I was sat in David Beckham and Kobe Bryant's local Italian in the Palisades, sipping Au Bon Climat with <a href="http://westwing.wikia.com/wiki/George_Coe" target="_blank">Senator Stackhouse</a>. Jesus, if only I knew then what I know now...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwPgnqXSmKjr9_ar9iWx0VC-b9UNNAZ_bI6VzOBF1hyGiPGFYTz0qkv8dSnCowzCu-u465JoxqqNZ7q5psQeV61QGbnr1Ipa5mfAHxP1qGn7fMMvhpFXQUljAOBYPQLg1GA5lU_erbiY/s1600/18032_p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwPgnqXSmKjr9_ar9iWx0VC-b9UNNAZ_bI6VzOBF1hyGiPGFYTz0qkv8dSnCowzCu-u465JoxqqNZ7q5psQeV61QGbnr1Ipa5mfAHxP1qGn7fMMvhpFXQUljAOBYPQLg1GA5lU_erbiY/s1600/18032_p.jpg" height="200" width="66" /></a><b>Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara Chardonnay, 2011:</b><br />
I've previously mentioned Jim Clendenen's wines when I <a href="http://ajurkiw.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/you-wont-bellini-it-til-you-see-it.html" target="_blank">reviewed the Wild Boy Chardonnay</a>, so I won't regale the same information. What I will mention is the high quality that he consistently achieves in his Burgundian-style wines, achieved by carefully selecting the appropriate <i>terroir</i>, by ageing in French oak and fermenting in small open-top vessels, just as in Burgundy. As a result, we see characteristics in this wine that are unusual for Californian Chardonnay - it is crisp, clean and refreshing rather than overly opulent. I'm not certain, but I think that Sue probably singled this wine out as the one to try because of these characteristics. Contrary to the Chardonnays I had previously tried, on the nose and palate it was more like ripe orange than sharp lemon and the oak made it more nutty than anything. The finish was long, with a more crisp citrus flavour hitting the back of the palate, along with really buttery toast (Lurpak, not the cheap stuff...). I don't know if the surroundings contributed to the experience, but I would never look at Californian Chardonnay in the same way again - I was besotted.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.5 stars</i></b><br />
<span id="goog_1622845915"></span><span id="goog_1622845916"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hjFTIkHFrYx-vXuqUW7mVTexMLSA6MpKlws14P8rpKxdqU_L3OiejPuLVNIkb5mtCk0u91M4ujpBp5wn87QXpZEyWubNxAasMiD10_0YPUp8-mK4oRWAWzAS5lAZ0JuAdaedPb53bJM/s1600/1393715_883451546099_218470981_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hjFTIkHFrYx-vXuqUW7mVTexMLSA6MpKlws14P8rpKxdqU_L3OiejPuLVNIkb5mtCk0u91M4ujpBp5wn87QXpZEyWubNxAasMiD10_0YPUp8-mK4oRWAWzAS5lAZ0JuAdaedPb53bJM/s1600/1393715_883451546099_218470981_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Unsurprisingly I decided that I'd be drinking Californian wines from then on. Equally, as soon as we hit the coastline I was on a mission to find the best seafood I could. But whilst in San Diego we were staying near the famous Gaslamp Quarter and found a great steakhouse just up the road from Petco Park called <a href="http://www.donovanssteakhouse.com/" target="_blank">Donovan's</a>. With my New York Strip Steak I needed to go red, so opted for a half bottle of Carneros Pinot Noir. In the meantime, we were entertained by the crowds leaving the ball-park after the game, along with the local "nutter" who was dancing in the street and climbing lampposts in celebration of their victory.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFD1MCJQAkwqGy32EDN_6WBPHN9qus32F4zQdJyznAF2jrpZzQ3-vjpGKvBr-cfMCgqPLI5UZC6o0LN5hIAdT8GZRQ68j6L9_UtbDKpzPfqaNqKo9kTSdvnc10YfJQgAQzWdPZnq617Q/s1600/18706_p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFD1MCJQAkwqGy32EDN_6WBPHN9qus32F4zQdJyznAF2jrpZzQ3-vjpGKvBr-cfMCgqPLI5UZC6o0LN5hIAdT8GZRQ68j6L9_UtbDKpzPfqaNqKo9kTSdvnc10YfJQgAQzWdPZnq617Q/s1600/18706_p.jpg" height="200" width="66" /></a><b>Saintsbury Pinot Noir, 2011:</b><br />
I remember thinking that this wine was much bigger than the Pinot Noirs that I was accustomed to. Not in the fruit, which was the same lovely, juicy red cherry and raspberry combination that I particularly like, but in the length and ripeness of the finish along the accompanying pepper, spice, vanilla and dark chocolate flavours that layered their way into each sip. Tannins were also slightly higher than expected for a Pinot. The feel of the wine was quite "velvety" and sophisticated. It wasn't at all what I anticipated when I ordered but it was a great accompaniment to the succulent steak. Rachael's quip of "<i>is</i> it Taste the Difference?" left me chuckling but no, it was better than that. Had we not just completed a grueling six and a half hour drive from Vegas, I would have loved to finish the other half of the bottle.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.0 stars</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
Then began our 600 mile journey following the Pacific Coast Highway up to San Francisco - something that everyone <i>must</i> do in their lifetime! Although we took it steady over about a week, I never felt satisfied that we had spent enough time in any place. It was just brilliant. Although not specifically wine-related, I must mention two places that we visited along our route very briefly. San Luis Obispo is renowned for being the most picturesque town in California and the happiest town in America - I really can't agree more. With an beautiful town centre and a breathtaking mountainous backdrop, I can't see why anyone wouldn't be happy there. I have come across many wines from the area since, but sadly we were only driving through in the space of a day. The second place is Morro Bay - a small, sleepy surfer-town. There isn't anything particularly spectacular there, it's just a brilliant atmosphere. We stopped at an amazing beach-front "shack" for lunch and were treated to the most incredible calamari sandwich, caught that morning. Sadly their beverage list came exclusively in cans but the food was definitely both the simplest and the best of our whole trip.<br />
<br />
The next major stop was San Simeon, where we stayed at a lovely family-run hotel near Hearst Castle and of course, the Paso Robles wine region. Aside from the absolutely mad Hearst Castle, my lasting memory of the place was the local beach, which was teaming with sea lions. After a walk along said beach, we opted for a local wine with our shrimp pasta dinner that evening - the Eberle Chardonnay.<br />
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<b>Eberle Chardonnay, 2011:</b><br />
Having travelled just about 40 miles from the vineyard to our table, this Chardonnay was very different to the Au Bon Climat varietal I had tried in LA. Theeir "pioneer" Gary Eberle is widely known as the "godfather" of Paso Robles wine and has been producing premium wines for over three decades. This is exactly how the wine was introduced and recommended to me by our waiter - I didn't feel as though I could refuse. Eberle is indeed one of the highest award-winning wineries in the US and their fascinating network of caves where they age the wine at the vineyard is perhaps a contributing factor. With such a pedigree behind it, the wine did not disappoint. It had apple and pear on the nose with the lemon only coming in on the palate. Again, it had more of a crisp edge than I was accustomed to at the time, but this balanced the richer buttery quality perfectly. With the coastal backdrop on one side and the hills behind me, it was just magic.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.0 stars</i></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27mltzo2DtsOvJH_E6N452ReQR6PnU3r2ECBWuaT4tL6jkkp2nHLx_keKKVu7lZTopRnRqdSgHNeomMi2N6sWMem31uf4ZJiaBtRt0owxi5nW3v0TtboDmbdC3gwwOaSDQFhdTh8bMdk/s1600/1383085_883448462279_379624802_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27mltzo2DtsOvJH_E6N452ReQR6PnU3r2ECBWuaT4tL6jkkp2nHLx_keKKVu7lZTopRnRqdSgHNeomMi2N6sWMem31uf4ZJiaBtRt0owxi5nW3v0TtboDmbdC3gwwOaSDQFhdTh8bMdk/s1600/1383085_883448462279_379624802_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><b><i><br /></i></b>
Further up the PCH we spent a few days in Carmel and Monterey, which for a wine-lover is just incredible. Literally every street in both towns seemed to have a tasting room for a producer from the local countryside. Even more exciting was that the Carmel Valley is now regarded as one of the top 10 wine producing regions in the world! Aside from visiting the Monterey Aquarium (which again, is a <i>must</i>), our time here was going to be devoted to wine. Before flying out, our wine supplier Peter had tried a wine from <a href="http://hahnfamilywines.com/" target="_blank">Hahn Winery</a> at a tasting and highly recommended that we visited them, so we did. Again, we couldn't do this any-old-how and after seeing us pull up in the convertible Mustang, they persuaded us to take a guided tour of the vineyard in an ATV, which he promised to drive around the dirt paths of the vineyard much faster than we could ever do in our Mustang. He did. It was epic! If you go to California, visit Hahn and if you do, do the <a href="http://www.hahnwinery.com/tours-tastings" target="_blank">ATV tour</a>!<br />
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Of course, the visit was predominantly about the wine so after the tour we settled in to their tasting room and began sampling. Some of my favourites were:<br />
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<b>Hahn Monterey Pinot Gris, 2012:</b><br />
As with most producers, Hahn's vineyards are scattered across the local landscape to provide the desired qualities from the varying terroir and sub-climates. This Pinot Gris was from the Lone Oak Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The cooler ocean breezes and Easterly-facing slopes catching the morning sun are ideal for Burgundean varietals. This Pinot Gris was just so full of fruit, with ripe stone fruit on the nose and a palate of crisp, green apples and a hint of lime on the long, lingering finish. The slower growing time allowed by the cool breezes increases the wine's acidity, creating this amazing crisp wine that is just bursting with flavour.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.0 stars</i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNhC3aRdxQwO2eu2HQIHfzDzvYWDaL425xhPdm57KZwZrkJrCfVlKXMykgdlpK2yenIOfxlRrdIUqRJtSqAg6TS4d8en6zgY4KOm3s5t6DhoTxA8F7aPO-VM6QgM-7GkWAFaWc4Pp51c/s1600/75515_883448497209_596357356_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNhC3aRdxQwO2eu2HQIHfzDzvYWDaL425xhPdm57KZwZrkJrCfVlKXMykgdlpK2yenIOfxlRrdIUqRJtSqAg6TS4d8en6zgY4KOm3s5t6DhoTxA8F7aPO-VM6QgM-7GkWAFaWc4Pp51c/s1600/75515_883448497209_596357356_n.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><b>Hahn Monterey Chardonnay, 2012:</b><br />
Again, a lovely Chardonnay. The grapes are taken from several of their vineyards, but primarily from their youngest Arroyo Seco Vineyard, which sits on the rocky valley floor beneath the Santa Lucia mountains. This offering had tropical fruit on the nose - predominantly mango, but it was silky and smooth. The palate was baked apples and pears with vanilla and toffee, followed by a sweet buttery, creamy finish, that was balanced with just the right level of acidity - almost like an autumnal fruit crumble.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.5 stars</i></b><br />
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<b>Hahn Winery Malbec, 2010:</b><br />
I was delighted to see one of my favourite grapes at the Smith & Hook Vineyard in the SLH. The gently sloping hills of this vineyard are generally above the fog line, which allows for great Malbec (and Pinot Noir). Due to small production quantities, this was one of only a few wines that are only available at the tasting rooms of the vineyard itself - it was a real privilege to be trying them! The nose was massive and incredibly opulent, with all of the flavours on the palate coming through. The palate itself was very smooth, with ripe plum and black cherry, followed by pepper, spice, leather and a hint of smoke on the medium-tannin finish.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.0 stars</i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9y2Sr-Ozk6NL5iU7EBQa65PScsN7LuRkiPpvaeHQl6Ap2jxgEvvDLlTbOUQKWTSQ9Lfwm5HTgH5rOQmgh6LityzVNLnQze95E_jwWx-TheWbCHxKB-4fdUZnNpWS9CFaRkIvnz-QJXAE/s1600/1385420_883448572059_1832924069_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9y2Sr-Ozk6NL5iU7EBQa65PScsN7LuRkiPpvaeHQl6Ap2jxgEvvDLlTbOUQKWTSQ9Lfwm5HTgH5rOQmgh6LityzVNLnQze95E_jwWx-TheWbCHxKB-4fdUZnNpWS9CFaRkIvnz-QJXAE/s1600/1385420_883448572059_1832924069_n.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><b>Hahn Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir, 2011:</b><br />
This varietal is carefully blended with grapes from all four of Hahn's vineyards to provide lovely balance to the wine. Although the 2011 season was particularly challenging in the region, the longer growing period and smaller yield created wines of extraordinary intensity and depth. This Pinot Noir is matured in 40% new French oak for 11 months, giving a lovely spice to the finish. The nose and palate are dominated by intense blackcurrant, plum and black cherry, with a slight acidity and gentle tannins on the finish.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.0 stars</i></b><br />
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<b>Hahn Lucienne Doctor's Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2012:</b><br />
The Doctor's Vineyard sits just below Smith & Hook in the Santa Lucia Highlands and is comprised solely of Pinot Noir and Syrah. It is known for producing much more robust fruit and the flavours are certainly jammier, suggesting more direct sunlight. However, they are still at the blackcurrant and blackberry end of the spectrum. The mouthfeel is much more velvety and the finish brings in more vanilla and spice from the more aggressive oak ageing compared to the SLH blend. I like that it was unapologisingly bigger and bolder.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.5 stars</i></b><br />
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Back at our hotel, we noticed a tasting room for <a href="http://www.mcintyrevineyards.com/" target="_blank">McIntyre Vineyards</a> in the lobby (they were everywhere!). Naturally, on the way to dinner that evening we had to pop in for ten minutes see what McIntyre had to offer too! My lasting memory was that their winemaker loves to experiment with Spanish varietals and that their Albarino was execptional. Sadly I didn't make any notes as we were just passing through on the way to the restaurant and I can't seem to find it online - could I have been imagining things?!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJyGfBWc9wL2REBaOSaOEGPuqUwQpQACO0A5HfvqLZMj58G_wspUSa4sIpiWrh8JaXZl4zb253GcP5GWwuxnSDnpVDejDt2S6KhaniddMVrsUvpg36bMOBmJACDYFhKS2gMCW4Pnw8bo/s1600/1385209_883457149869_1856818116_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJyGfBWc9wL2REBaOSaOEGPuqUwQpQACO0A5HfvqLZMj58G_wspUSa4sIpiWrh8JaXZl4zb253GcP5GWwuxnSDnpVDejDt2S6KhaniddMVrsUvpg36bMOBmJACDYFhKS2gMCW4Pnw8bo/s1600/1385209_883457149869_1856818116_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
My final wine of note was at the two Michelin-starred <a href="http://ateliercrenn.com/" target="_blank">Atelier Crenn</a> in San Francisco, whose menus are based on poems written by the owner and Executive Chef Dominique Crenn. Of all the places that we ate in California, this was the most sadly the disappointing on the last day of our trip. My review is simple - hidden behind the bull... of the overly elaborate menu, was stuffy and obnoxious service and food that wouldn't have received one star back in the UK, let alone two. The English sommelier presented us with a "Yellow Pages" of wine and actually made the whole experience very awkward. When I asked him what he would recommend because there was so much choice, he actually told me that his favourite wine was <i>this </i>[pointing to a bottle for a hundred-and-something dollars], but Sir might find <i>this</i> one a bit more affordable. I kid you not. <i>Sir</i> opted for a half bottle of 2012 Ramey Chardonnay, followed by a half of 2011 Peay "Titans" Syrah, both of which were lovely but overly-priced and left a decidedly sour taste in my mouth as a result of the service.<br />
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All-in-all though, our experience of California and its wine was unbeatable - it ignited an understanding and a passion for Californian wine in me and may explain to some people why I'm so bonkers about it. I long for the day when I can return.
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<b>Majestic:</b></div>
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Majestic are offering 33% off if you buy two bottles or more - bearing in mind that they usually offer 25% and there are often deals of 33% or higher, this isn't as epic as it sounds. To add to my disappointment, their focus this Black Friday is Sauvignon Blanc, which you may have guessed I'm not a huge fan of. On the plus side, their red offering is Rioja! It was no great surprise that the majority of wines on offer were from the 'lesser' vingtages of recent years - 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011. What I was really looking for was a nice, fruity, bold 2010 and if I was really lucky, a 2004/2005 Gran Reserva - well I never...</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.majestic.co.uk/Rioja-Reserva-Seleccion-Especial-zid14297" target="_blank">Rioja Reserva Seleccion Especial 2010 Muga</a></b> - £16.66 - <i>save £8.34</i></div>
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Stephen Tanzer (93), Wine Spectator (91), World Decanter Bronze</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.majestic.co.uk/Rioja-Reserva-Vina-Ardanza-zid14270?tracking=|searchterm:" target="_blank">Rioja Reserva Vina Ardanza 2005</a></b> - £15.99 - <i>save £8.01</i></div>
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Stephen Tanzer (92), Wine Spectator (92)</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.majestic.co.uk/Rioja-Gran-Reserva-zid14007" target="_blank">Bodegas Vina Eguia Gran Reserva 2004</a></b> - £8.99 - <i>save £4.50</i></div>
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International Wine Challenge Silver</div>
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Despite what I said about Sauvignon earlier, I also couldn't resist giving these two a go:</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.majestic.co.uk/Saint-Clair-Reserve-Sauvignon-Blanc-zid37155" target="_blank">Saint Clair Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2013 </a></b>- £16.66 - <i>save £8.34</i></div>
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Bob Campbell (94), Wine Spectator (92), Wine Enthusiast (92)</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.majestic.co.uk/A-Sticky-End-Noble-Sauvignon-Blanc-zid37042?tracking=|searchterm:" target="_blank">A Sticky End Noble Sauvignon Blanc 2012</a></b> - £10.65 - <i>save £5.34</i> (37.5cl)</div>
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<b>Ocado:</b></div>
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Some of these deals were a bit high-end, but the savings were staggering. Don't forget that you also get £20 off your first shop with Ocado (if you spend over £80). </div>
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<b><a href="http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Jacobs-Creek-Heritage-Collection-Steingarten-Riesling-2011/41060011?from=shop&tags=%7C20000%7C134503%7C134498&parentContainer=%7C134503%7C134498_SHELFVIEW" target="_blank">Jacobs Creek Steingarten Riesling 2011</a></b> - £10.86 - <i>save £5.43</i></div>
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James Halliday (95), Jancis Robinson (16)</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Taittinger-Comtes-de-Champagne-2000/36958011?from=shop&tags=%7C20000%7C134503%7C134498&parentContainer=%7C134503%7C134498_SHELFVIEW" target="_blank">Tattinger Comtes de Champagne 2000</a></b> - £79.99 - <i>save £50.00</i></div>
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Wine Spectator (94), Robert Parker (96), Jancis Robinson (18)</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Krug-Vintage-2000-Champagne/66342011?from=shop&tags=%7C20000%7C134503%7C134498&parentContainer=%7C134503%7C134498_SHELFVIEW" target="_blank">Krug Vintage 2000 </a></b>- £150.00 - <i>save £75.00</i></div>
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Stephen Tanzer (95), Wine Spectator (95), Jancis Robinson (19)</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Dom-Perignon-Rose-Champagne/66332011?from=shop&tags=%7C20000%7C134503%7C134498&parentContainer=%7C134503%7C134498_SHELFVIEW" target="_blank">Dom Perignon Rose Champagne 2000</a></b> - £175.00 - <i>save £100.00</i></div>
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Robert Parker (96), Wine Enthusiast (94), Jancis Robinson (18)</div>
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<b>Asda:</b></div>
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Back down to Earth. That's right, Asda - they've been making waves with their Extra Special range and a couple of them are included in the 6 for £25 offer this weekend. One of my favourite "everyday" Riojas was also included for less than half price. I'll be taking three of each of these beauties. Result!</div>
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<b><a href="http://direct.asda.com/Campo-Viejo-Tempranillo-Rioja-2012/006732640,default,pd.html" target="_blank">Campo Viejo Tempranillo 2012</a> </b>- <i>save £4.33</i></div>
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<b><a href="http://direct.asda.com/Extra-Special-Viognier-2013/006743112,default,pd.html" target="_blank">Extra Special Viognier 2013 </a>- </b><i>save £3.33</i></div>
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International Wine Challenge Bronze, Decanter Bronze</div>
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There are of course lots more of the "usual" great deals to be had this Black Friday weekend, let me know if you find any more worth mentioning!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-77364996064840496252014-11-25T10:05:00.001+00:002014-11-28T09:58:45.887+00:00Wine Lists<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fhyGKqIuqxJGppxUk5_dLGoOSSHpcpOK0_4aq92BsFPbN7-IwgY9lpzgrOSAzBMzareuuVt3v3jJX_EUS18qbOkMDbexzMh-BymU-GfP_8Ol_HxQWOJmzfcnJXgN8adJwdIIirmpJPA/s1600/September+Wine+List-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fhyGKqIuqxJGppxUk5_dLGoOSSHpcpOK0_4aq92BsFPbN7-IwgY9lpzgrOSAzBMzareuuVt3v3jJX_EUS18qbOkMDbexzMh-BymU-GfP_8Ol_HxQWOJmzfcnJXgN8adJwdIIirmpJPA/s1600/September+Wine+List-1.jpg" height="400" width="261" /></a>It's an exciting week at <a href="http://http%3B//www.thewingerworth.co.uk" target="_blank">The Wingerworth</a> - we're launching our new Wine List! It's hard to imagine that we began trading over a year ago now, but that we have. Before opening we went through no less than nine revisions of a list with our wine supplier Peter Bamford of <a href="http://www.modernfrenchwine.co.uk/" target="_blank">Modern French Wine</a>, with the process including a mega tasting evening to sample the key lines. Erring on the side of caution, our list was initially focused on the mid-range, ticking all of the "expected" boxes - we are a pub after all! Very soon, much to our delight we realised that we had the potential to not only sell premium wines, but also "quirky" or interesting wines too. Through the year we have added, amongst others; a Marlborough Riesling (£24.95), an Alsace Pinot Gris (£26.50), a 2009 St Estephe (£44.95) and a 2002 Cote Rotie (£60.00), as well as taking a bit of a gamble on an English Wine section in the Spring. The thinking behind adding English wine was simply that we focus on British products on a British food menu in a British pub, so why not try the same with wine. The results have been as remarkable as the wines themselves - people seem to love trying something they haven't tried before and of course, something that is locally produced. Recently we popped over to an Italian wine tasting at <a href="http://themarketpub.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Market Pub</a>, whose owners are also very into wine and boast a list that includes a "private collection" with some serious, serious names on it. We were sat with a lovely couple and made a point not to initially disclose we were from The Wingerworth, just to see what peoples' opinion of us was on the wine scene. Much to my delight they said that we had one of the most interesting and approachable wine lists they had ever seen! I have to say that the quality of the product helps, but our most valuable of resource is our staff. They work exceptionally hard to learn the products that we sell and genuinely seem to enjoy relaying that knowledge and passion to our customers. It was also this visit to The Market tasting that spurred us on to adding higher-end wines to the list. Admittedly we don't have a private collection that makes the eyes pop out of the sockets and we are nowhere near to listing a 1996 Penfolds Grange for £175, a 1998 Latour for £275 or a 1996 Petrus for £1000. A quick online search will tell you that you will be pushed to find these sorts of prices <i>at cost</i>. It's just staggering, mind-boggling value. In a "cash only" pub one has to assume that these additions are simply for show? In fact, we joked about buying them from The Market and selling them for a small cash margin at The Wingerworth... Nevertheless, with our latest revision of the list I believe that we are taking the right steps to build a reputation that balances exceptional quality at every level - with big names and unknown gems alike.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-F577dYx_Xq2i8azMwL6EYb2_QFfVpe7-VaBwiRi1PrglpGKHaNvTfr5CY5490p0zweCcj-xWkIZiBNb4iSbb4N6p6rD04gCbH-Dthd5UkaFrQfknGddfgOg39Rnhukp7B8NW_hGNFBo/s1600/_DSC7874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-F577dYx_Xq2i8azMwL6EYb2_QFfVpe7-VaBwiRi1PrglpGKHaNvTfr5CY5490p0zweCcj-xWkIZiBNb4iSbb4N6p6rD04gCbH-Dthd5UkaFrQfknGddfgOg39Rnhukp7B8NW_hGNFBo/s1600/_DSC7874.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>Indeed, a year on our wine sales are way ahead of target and I think that is simply down to the passion at every level of our business; from Peter the supplier, to myself and of course most importantly all of our lovely staff headed up by our "wine guy" <a href="http://simonpaulfranklin.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Simon</a>. Simon does prefer the the name "wine guy" to sommelier, or anything else that is too formal and I believe that it's that laid back, approachable attitude that puts our customers and the rest of our staff in such a comfortable place when approaching our list. Too many restaurants have a really scary-looking list, with an even more austere and unapproachable wine expert to recommend and serve. Simon is the antithesis to our stereotypical sommelier - sleeves rolled up, pen behind ear and under no circumstance will he wear a tie... He doesn't need to hide behind false flamboyancy because he simply has great knowledge and a deep passion and love for what he does. That's not to say in any way that we don't sell a <i>serious</i> product, because we really do.<br />
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Apologies to the traditionalists out there, but Simon and I are both big fans of the New World, particularly California, Australia and New Zealand. In fact so much so, that Simon will take any excuse to regale the story of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_Paris_%28wine%29" target="_blank">The Judgement of Paris</a> to anyone who will listen. In short, this was a 1976 wine competition where Californian producers wiped the floor with established producers from Burgundy and Bordeaux such as Mouton-Rothschild, Montrose and Haut-Brion. Although we are now adding a <i>Fine Wines</i> section to the list in our revamp, we are actually a little more excited about the New World additions! We thought that after a year, the list should begin to reflect our own personalities and tastes a little more. I just hope that everyone enjoys them as much as we do!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">old vine zinfandel<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">ravenswood, lodi, california, 2011+</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">zinfandel, the heritage grape of california, is the big success story of ravenswood winery. theirs is a big, powerful, luscious wine, with ripe red fruits and a lovely richness.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4b2b2c; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">4.30 / 5.80 / 21.50 pounds</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">riesling</span></b><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">chateau
ste michelle, washington state, usa, 2011+<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9XpYV-jmDacvzeBvozZWBGcqKm0HqZM_DYNE6hka9DT5L_PEXtAWLNaB-0H9_Uk4BXpkqqn-klMAEw5Y6fTi9ukDkTfNkoKdd2vFWL4QBE4PVMu7_v4HoYyJxWhCOBMF8sPuUshw02E/s1600/some-young-punks-naked-on-roller-skates-shiraz-mataro-south-australia-10328977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9XpYV-jmDacvzeBvozZWBGcqKm0HqZM_DYNE6hka9DT5L_PEXtAWLNaB-0H9_Uk4BXpkqqn-klMAEw5Y6fTi9ukDkTfNkoKdd2vFWL4QBE4PVMu7_v4HoYyJxWhCOBMF8sPuUshw02E/s1600/some-young-punks-naked-on-roller-skates-shiraz-mataro-south-australia-10328977.jpg" height="200" width="137" /></a><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">the columbia
valley sits east of seattle, and produces some fantastic wine, which are slowly
but surely gaining great respect and a cult following. this riesling is packed
with fresh green apples, ripe lemons and a trace of honey. </span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4b2b2c; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">24.95 pounds</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4b2b2c; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">shiraz-mataro</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">“naked on
rollerskates”, some young punks, Australia, 2011+<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>some young punks are fronted
by winemaker col mcbride, and are really paving the way at the moment in
unique, quality driven australian wines that are gaining recognition the world
over. this french-style blend is smooth, rich and powerful. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4b2b2c; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">27.95 pounds</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4b2b2c; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdUREvYHMtaDZkCTR8CC1_ZtaMfCY3z6ui0IsSTE6gnuLRi-3wPA1DsfnucIo4TgSXACEB5croPO-oq6XSCozMgoktmodUBQUwWVW3gBwNRbGYjYdS_ZZciTpV-Q3nSzlLI2O0DcMUBY/s1600/Byron+Chardonnay+SB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdUREvYHMtaDZkCTR8CC1_ZtaMfCY3z6ui0IsSTE6gnuLRi-3wPA1DsfnucIo4TgSXACEB5croPO-oq6XSCozMgoktmodUBQUwWVW3gBwNRbGYjYdS_ZZciTpV-Q3nSzlLI2O0DcMUBY/s1600/Byron+Chardonnay+SB.jpg" height="152" width="200" /></a><b><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">chardonnay</span></b><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">byron,
santa barbara, california, usa, 2011+<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>santa barbara produces some
of the best californian chardonnay, and byron produces some of the best chardonnay
in santa barbara. this is a wine with great richness; packed with apples,
smoke, vanilla and honey, followed by a silky smooth finish.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4b2b2c; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">31.50 pounds</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvABd7ZMZPzPb06yyf3gVoVFItuYa88ZhGXqshq669bwKwmvxSoaPxJtwRi9JoTLVKx072ewqq8AD5YwHd1ZxYR8Oe4RTKr5PY3qc9WK3YwdrN48OO9-GwrzAz37bUGMU6j_pGsyWnkpw/s1600/image_3306761_full.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvABd7ZMZPzPb06yyf3gVoVFItuYa88ZhGXqshq669bwKwmvxSoaPxJtwRi9JoTLVKx072ewqq8AD5YwHd1ZxYR8Oe4RTKr5PY3qc9WK3YwdrN48OO9-GwrzAz37bUGMU6j_pGsyWnkpw/s1600/image_3306761_full.jpeg" height="193" width="200" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">zinfandel<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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east bench, ridge vineyards, california, 2012</div>
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<i>ridge vineyards are one of
the best producers in california, known worldwide for making fantastic wines.
head winemaker paul draper has won numerous awards for his wines. this single
vineyard zinfandel is full of classic zin qualities; dark spicy fruit,
brambles, blackberries, vanilla and smoke. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4b2b2c; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">52.00 pounds</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4b2b2c; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">nebbiolo<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">adelina,
adelaide hills, south australia, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4e8cAZPAIxiJH-4FB9RpFIVN1CjOFlBIy9MZjhzU0KzqavDlyhlv1ZF4jgPAbLNFWtO5TsaFVOg0Us6rEAXDRc69w4tsnynrWnGUhC3YTiJ3aYeBj6Trpffeqcsbcx_GuIjDu2za15I/s1600/blogger-image-519879175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4e8cAZPAIxiJH-4FB9RpFIVN1CjOFlBIy9MZjhzU0KzqavDlyhlv1ZF4jgPAbLNFWtO5TsaFVOg0Us6rEAXDRc69w4tsnynrWnGUhC3YTiJ3aYeBj6Trpffeqcsbcx_GuIjDu2za15I/s1600/blogger-image-519879175.jpg" height="130" width="200" /></a><i>adelina are the side project
of some young punks founder – col mcbride, who has begun sourcing interesting,
high quality parcels from regions beyond his native barossa valley, in this
case from the talc hill vineyard, near adelaide. nebbiolo is the classic northern
italian grape, and currently is thriving in the cooler, southern regions of australia.
aromas of redcurrant, red cherry, dried rose petals and spices, with a tart
raspberry finish make a great wine to rival those of europe. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4b2b2c; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">55.00 pounds</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixG9o3wayNY8elvlGunbqKJfog8uhpIom-Fd0VZvTm5FYvahftERQzfVhRqKs2kIMPslvZ7VObep5GoJ4xP5iO_AftaqKx7qOcD6K8fGb1aTDWwTD-wG4sx63lhrbanDoQeoIqV1jYOxY/s1600/November+Wine+List-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixG9o3wayNY8elvlGunbqKJfog8uhpIom-Fd0VZvTm5FYvahftERQzfVhRqKs2kIMPslvZ7VObep5GoJ4xP5iO_AftaqKx7qOcD6K8fGb1aTDWwTD-wG4sx63lhrbanDoQeoIqV1jYOxY/s1600/November+Wine+List-10.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-41562884575350789082014-11-21T13:18:00.001+00:002014-11-21T13:21:12.315+00:00PubCo Reform - A Great Victory or Just Plain Stupidity?They say it's about time the "other side" got to throw a <i>Punch </i>or two <i>-</i> the way that PubCo's have been running their lease agreements just isn't in the <i>Spirit</i> of ensuring the success and sustainability of Britain's pubs. But have we gone about it the right way, or is our knee-jerk reaction just as slapdash as the running of the PubCos we are trying to break free from? I have deliberately refrained from openly speaking about this issue until now, simply because I feel that it would put my professional relationship with our PubCo at <a href="http://www.thewingerworth.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Wingerworth</a> [Punch Taverns] in a difficult position, but there really isn't any avoiding the matter now.<br />
<br />
I met with my own Business Development Manager from Punch Taverns on Wednesday lunchtime and one of the first things he asked me was what my thoughts were on the recent vote in the House of Commons. I honestly told him that I hadn't <i>really</i> kept tabs on it because even if the changes were passed, it probably wouldn't benefit us in the short-term. The stark reality is that only a minor progression has been made in the grand scheme - it will realistically take at least another 3 years for any "benefits" of a free of tie, market rent only option on leases to be seen in the real world. That is, if the decision isn't overturned in the meantime before it becomes law. I do of course have an opinion on the matter and my stance may come as a surprise from a tied pub owner. The future of pubs in Britain is on a knife-edge and we must consider the bigger picture, rather than just the short-term saving that this bill will offer for landlords.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.camra.org.uk/pubco-reform" target="_blank">CAMRA</a> have been one of driving forces behind this campaign for over a decade now and believe this vote is a huge victory for British beer and British pubs, but it seems to me that they can't see beyond the end of their own pint glass [and how much it will cost them to refill it]. It must be said that when CAMRA began the campaign, the relationship between PubCo and landlord was very different. The system was certainly abused with [among other things] obscene rent increases through rent reviews and liability orders for costly repairs that weren't mentioned before signing the lease. Since then these practices have ceased, to the degree that the only party able to ask for a review of the rent is the tenant. That isn't to say that the system is fair, it's just more fair than it was. The CAMRA campaign simply hasn't adapted with the times and those organising it were so focused and hell-bent on achieving their goals that they hadn't noticed that the world changed around them.<br />
<br />
In order to understand the complex relationship between a PubCo and its tennants, we need to understand one key fact - although the original PubCos were owned and operated by a single brewery, the modern-day PubCo is more akin to a property company so the "cost price" for the product that they sell onto us is much higher than the raw ingredients, had they been brewing it themselves. They have no obligation to a single brewery and before the recession they were simply interested in acquiring as many properties [on credit] as they possibly could. When the recession hit, this left them in a position of mind-boggling debt just at a time where Britain's social habits changed and we began to do most of our drinking at home.<br />
<br />
So what does the vote mean for the PubCos, who quite frankly are <i>already</i> on their knees? It was only in August that I was reading about the latest "last-ditch" attempt from Punch Taverns to restructure £2.3bn of their debt, leaving 85% of the company in the hands of bondholders. The big plan from the bondholders is of course to sell assets [pubs] to recoup the losses, probably to large [more] successful companies such as Tesco or even someone like The Restaurant Group, who own Frankie & Benny's, Chiquitos and so on. Or worse, housing developers... Either way, our pubs won't be pubs anymore and this week's "victory" will only compound the issue. Today, Punch's shares are worth about 0.023% of their highest value in June 2007, losing a further 10.9% of their value immediately following the vote this week. So who is going to pay for this dramatic decline in the long-run?<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2841708/Biggest-shake-centuries-beer-tie-scrapped-meaning-landlords-shop-best-deals.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a> was quick to announce its opinion that the scrapping of the beer tie is a good thing for the customer because landlords will be able to shop around for the best deals, which ultimately means greater profit for the pub and hopefully a saving for the customer too. But I cannot understand how in reality this will result in a saving for the customer. If pubs are apparently struggling because they aren't making enough profit, surely they would ensure their own financial security before passing on the benefits to the end consumer. Similarly microbreweries will be quick to act in increasing their wholesale prices - the fact of the matter is that there are now more breweries in the UK than ever before and less pubs than ever before. Simple math, simple economics. What it <i>might</i> mean is a better standard of beer - if wholesale beer prices go up, pub owners will be more selective in the beers that they buy so only the best breweries will survive. That said, with higher quality come less choice.<br />
<br />
Just to briefly look into a price comparison on a few of our own core lines becomes a complex calculation because of the way in which the rent structure is intertwined with the product purchase price. We are currently on Punch's "PA2" agreement, which entitles us to a [I suppose purely hypothetical] £160 per barrel discount on our draught purchases. This was the option that we chose over their "PA3" agreement, which offers a £100 per barrel discount. In addition, if we were to achieve the [unachievable] annual barrelage target set by Punch, we would see the benefit of a further £20 per barrel discount on any purchase above the target. Sounds good so far, BUT... the "PA2" agreement of course comes with a higher rental valuation, which happens to be just shy of £83,000p.a. at The Wingerworth. The reason we chose this option was because it was more of a known entity - although we made countless projections prior to taking on the lease, in reality we had no idea how much beer we would sell, so the safer bet seemed to be to take a lower beer purchase price, with a higher known weekly rent that we could manage. Once you add in our weekly draught purchases [forget any bottled or soft drinks...] of over £1000, it takes Punch's 10-year income on the site to around £1.4m. Considering that the [one assumes circa £600k] property is mortgaged, and that they spent almost that again on the refurbishment, I don't think it is that unreasonable.<br />
<br />
However, it must be noted that Punch have coined the phrase <i>"fair maintainable rent"</i> rather than <i>"market rent" </i>when negotiating the rent that they charge for their sites. What they suggest this means, is "the level of rent that a <i>competent</i> operator could maintain whilst still retaining good profits". Here lies the gaping chasm in the PubCo's side of the argument on this reform - if their rent calculations are <i>fair </i>and they really do work on a balanced sliding scale, why are they so upset about this vote? If the calculations really are <i>fair</i>, there aren't very many <i>competent</i> operators out there at all, because over 60% of landlords tied to a PubCo earn less than £10,000 per annum, which equates to about £3.21 per hour, based on an <i>extremely </i>modest 60 hour week.<br />
<br />
<img alt="what pub owners earn" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/79128000/png/_79128164_snippedpic.png" height="313" width="320" /><br />
<br />
Nevertheless, apart from tied landlords largely living on the poverty line, incorporating inflated beer prices into the deal does look great on paper because it means that someone with not much capitol to invest can operate a site on an [allegedly] lower rent. The PubCo makes its money back if the site is successful through inflated product sales. The key phrase here is <i>if the site is successful</i>. The risk is being taken by the PubCo and it is greatly in their interest to make it a success, wherein comes the plethora of "additional services" offered to tied publicans; marketing teams, trade shows, trade "experts" and so on. I use ironic air quotes deliberately but a handful of people we've worked with have genuinely been hugely helpful - our BDMs through regular meetings and constant email contact, the Catering Development Manager who works closely with and offers guidance to our Head Chef and the Property Manager when the refurbishment was taking place. One of the big worries that our BDM expressed on Wednesday was that something would have to give if this reform was passed and in his opinion one of the first things to go would be these additional services. <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/leisure/11241965/The-death-of-the-beer-tie-will-put-thousands-more-pubs-out-of-business.html" target="_blank">The Telegraph</a> supports his views, suggesting that PubCos will slash their central expenditure by 25%. My opinion is honestly, don't wait for it to happen. Do it now. Most of the services are a waste of time to a <i>competent</i> operator and most of the people carrying out those services are in fact grossly incompetent...<br />
<br />
So how much does the beer cost us from Punch? And what would it cost us if we were free of tie?<br />
<br />
Well real ale is an easy comparison, because we sell our own exclusive ale <i>LokeAle 1643</i> on a free-of-tie basis from <a href="http://www.northstarbrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">North Star Brewery</a> and we also sell tied ales from Punch Taverns:<br />
<br />
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<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 89.45pt;" valign="top" width="119"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 87.9pt;" valign="top" width="117"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Wholesale
Price<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Per
Pint<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 78.45pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Punch
Price<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Per
Pint<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.25pt;" valign="top" width="80"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Sale
Price<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 55.55pt;" valign="top" width="74"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Our
GP%<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 89.45pt;" valign="top" width="119"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
LokeAle 1643</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 87.9pt;" valign="top" width="117"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£61.00 +VAT</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£1.02</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 78.45pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
-</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
-</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.25pt;" valign="top" width="80"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£2.80</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 55.55pt;" valign="top" width="74"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
63.52%</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 89.45pt;" valign="top" width="119"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Farmer’s Blonde</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 87.9pt;" valign="top" width="117"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 78.45pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£103.46 +VAT</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£1.72</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.25pt;" valign="top" width="80"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£3.30</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 55.55pt;" valign="top" width="74"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
48.00%</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
From the figures above, one would assume that Punch make approximately £40 (net) per cask on the <i>higher</i> £160 per barrel discount just for being the "middle-man". But of course not, because they sting the brewer aswell. Rather than the brewer setting a price for his/her product, Punch tell them what <i>they</i> will pay. This value is often 20-25% under market wholesale rate, leaving the poor brewer with only £20 cash margin on each cask that they produce and Punch with a whopping £50-55 (>50%), just for delivering the beer to me, which the local brewer would happily have done for £60-65 instead of the £103 that I pay to Punch.<br />
<br />
It is evident that we do make a healthier margin on the free-of tie products, which we have to do in order to recoup some of the deficit left by tied products, but we do also pass on a substantial saving to the customer. Because of this, we sell almost three times as much <i>LokeAle</i> as any other ale - which Punch are (of course...) not happy about!<br />
<br />
Let's also briefly consider flip-side of the interaction between Pubco and microbrewery - the fact that the 'tie' is actually keeping the wholesale price of beer <i>under control</i>. Without the weight of these huge companies determining what they are <i>prepared</i> to pay, brewers could effectively charge what they wanted. Particularly with limited production capacity and supply/demand coming into play, we could easily find ourselves in a situation where the cost to the pub actually goes up, not down. Take two local success-stories for example - Castle Rock and Blue Monkey, whose 'free of tie' ale prices are £20+ per cask (25%) more expensive than their local competitors. Why? Because they can.<br />
<br />
Contrary to popular belief, pub beer prices <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/personal-finance/average-prices-pint-beer-across-2234409" target="_blank">aren't actually expensive</a> in comparison to the "good old days". In 1970, the average salary was £1,664 and the average cost of a pint 20p (0.012% of the annual salary). Today, the average salary is £26,500 and the cost of a pint of ale £3.10 (again, 0.012% of annual salary!). So why do campaigners believe that cheaper beer is the solution?<br />
<br />
Real ale is not the only affected product - let's take a look at San Miguel, which I sold at The Embankment in Nottingham through Marston's on a free of tie basis:<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 633px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 89.45pt;" valign="top" width="119"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 87.9pt;" valign="top" width="117"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Marstons
Price<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Per
Pint<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 78.45pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Punch
Price<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Per
Pint<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.25pt;" valign="top" width="80"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Sale
Price<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 55.55pt;" valign="top" width="74"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Our
GP%<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 89.45pt;" valign="top" width="119"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
San Miguel FOT</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 87.9pt;" valign="top" width="117"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£96.00 +VAT</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£1.31</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 78.45pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
-</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
-</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.25pt;" valign="top" width="80"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£3.50</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 55.55pt;" valign="top" width="74"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
62.67%</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 89.45pt;" valign="top" width="119"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
San Miguel Tied</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 87.9pt;" valign="top" width="117"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 78.45pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£146.61 +VAT</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.45pt;" valign="top" width="69"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£2.00</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.25pt;" valign="top" width="80"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
£4.20</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 55.55pt;" valign="top" width="74"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
52.29%</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It's the exact same stuff remember! If we were to sell the San Miguel at the same price that I could <i>afford </i>to at The Embankment, the margins would be catastrophic. Don't even get me started on Peroni...<br />
<br />
So yes, pubs tied to PubCos have to pay more for their beer and make a lower margin. In turn they have to charge the customer more, which undoubtedly impacts levels of sales, particularly when competing with large chains such as Wetherspoons and indeed supermarkets. Yes, many tied landlords are struggling to survive because they can't make their margins work or their sales are impacted by the high prices that they have to charge. But what of the alternative?<br />
<br />
Make no mistake, I do believe that the leases that <i>"us landlords"</i> have agreed to are fundamentally unfair. <b><i>But we have agreed to them.</i></b> For one, there is absolutely no way that we would have been able to afford the in-excess-of £550k refurbishment that Punch stumped up for us at The Wingerworth in August last year. We live in a privileged time, where as a customer we <i>expect</i> a perfect pint, in lovely surroundings at minimal cost. Can anyone remember drinking anything other than local beers before PubCos came along? Can anyone remember the state of their local pub before a PubCo took it over and refurbished?<br />
<br />
Enterprise Inns alone spends £70m per year on renovating and maintaining its pubs - operators would never be able to afford anywhere near this level of expenditure. The reality is that if PubCos such as Punch didn't charge us more, The Wingerworth would still be a dingy pub struggling to turn over what we pay out to Punch in a week. In fact, PubCos themselves would have folded long ago because of their lack of ability to service their debts and the majority of pubs would most likely no longer still be pubs.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwzmxv2-SBOhZaflJOs9H7XfYOASdK0Sbn8F7eP8sN3_8tf75MGI_9fMn82JqMWV1vpOa0887eRLeIL5TDMZZg4qPwh6oCgb6b3fkjFx6qi0lkGP5i-hdmMVrpdry6MW774UHV-QzQ-w/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwzmxv2-SBOhZaflJOs9H7XfYOASdK0Sbn8F7eP8sN3_8tf75MGI_9fMn82JqMWV1vpOa0887eRLeIL5TDMZZg4qPwh6oCgb6b3fkjFx6qi0lkGP5i-hdmMVrpdry6MW774UHV-QzQ-w/s1600/4.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Yes, PubCos have displayed ineptitude at every level, comparable only to the banks that keep lending them money to buy and refurbish. Yes, PubCos have brought pubs, one of the finest elements of British heritage, to its knees but let's not be hasty - let's make sure that we're making the correct decisions to sustain pubs for the future. After all, PubCos are not the <i>only</i> reason for the decline of our pubs. A recent survey by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills suggested that only 42% of tenanted pub owners felt that their struggles were a result of mistreatment by PubCos, in comparison to 61% stating supermarket prices, 60% taxation, 32% the recession and 16% the smoking ban as one of the three biggest challenges they were facing.<br />
<br />
Spare a thought - what will happen to <i>your</i> local when [not if...] the major PubCos go bust following this reform and the administrators take over? Without a recession, would we have any qualms about the prices that PubCos are charging? And finally, are supermarket prices not the <i>real</i> threat to our pubs?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-4599473907067801132014-11-19T12:27:00.001+00:002014-11-19T13:48:02.300+00:00One Hell of a Beer!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So last night I found myself making a stew with "leftovers" in the fridge and as everyone knows, a good stew needs a good beer in it. Blundering through the garage I stumbled across a few boxes (!!! hurrah!..) of ale from my father-in-law's <a href="http://www.northstarbrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">North Star Brewery</a>. The ale in question was a 6.66% beast called Devil's Deadly Weapon brewed exclusively for his two brothers' mega metal band <a href="http://www.hell-metal-band.com/" target="_blank">Hell</a>. Had to be worth a punt, right?...<br />
<br />
<b>Devil's Deadly Weapon, North Star Brewery, 6.66%:</b><br />
The instant thought I had when pouring was porter - a dark, dark ruby colour, with an aroma that was undoubtedly coffee, rich dark chocolate and lashings of smoke [straight from the fires of Hell...]. One of the reasons that I really love porter is that it's history is just as mysterious and smoky as it's character. The other thing I love are the parallels in the process of its production with wine. In February last year I was invited to judge the Porter category in the CAMRA National Winter Ale Festival in Derby - a real treat - and since then my love for porter and dark ale has just grown and grown.<br />
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One popular belief of the origin of porter is that it was created by/for the transportation workers [porters] in Central London in the 1700s, who blended an old (stale) ale with a new (brown) ale and a pale ale, to result in a strong, flavoursome beer typically with an ABV of 7% or higher. The "stale ale" element may be of surprise, but this was supposed to give an acidity to the beer, balancing the sweetness of the roasted malt. Just like a great red wine, this great red beer was also traditionally aged in huge wooden maturation vats [some of which were reported to hold half a million gallons!] for several months to develop the characteristic roasted smoky flavours. As popularity and demand for porter grew, brewers tried to find new ways to bypass the long production process, such as adding molasses and burnt sugar to artificially achieve the deep colour [Chaptalization in wine anyone?...]. It is also rumoured that some brewers added intoxicants such as opium to addict consumers to their beer - a Hell-ish trick you might suggest...<br />
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The good news is that these practices no longer exist in the modern production of porter, but the even better news is that nevertheless, the beer still retains the traditional characteristics. Generally they are brewed with a combination of pale, black, crystal, chocolate and dark brown malt and although Richard labels this beer as a "strong dark ale", I wouldn't be surprised if the Devil's Deadly Weapon was brewed with a combination of at least a few of these. Equally, the brewer suggested initial port wine flavours, but I disagree strongly - it's bigger and more sinister than that, and not as sweet. The main flavour profile for me is treacle, liquorice, Marmite, bitter dark chocolate, burnt coffee and of course, that smoky finish. If any fruit fights its way through that onslaught, it's more at the fig, date and plum end of the spectrum. I loved it - a whole bottle went into the stew and I pretended to fancy baking some infused soda bread, just so I could open and polish off a second bottle.I have to mention that according to the bottle, the beer was past its "best before". Again, I stubbornly disagree. Porter (and other strong ales) mature just like wine and are best with a bit of age. Take Fuller's Vintage Ale - I think that the 2007/2006/2005 vintages are just peaking now - this beer is only just beginning to get to its best! Give it a chance! Here's the recipe for the soda bread - it is ever so easy, give it a go...<br />
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<b>"Devil's Deadly" Soda Bread:</b><br />
<i>170g wholemeal self-raising flour</i><br />
<i>170g plain flour</i><br />
<i>1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda</i><br />
<i>1/2 teaspoon salt</i><br />
<i>1 tablespoon treacle</i><br />
<i>1/4 pint buttermilk (or double cream)</i><br />
<i>1/4 pint Devil's Deadly Weapon</i><br />
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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a "well" in the centre. Slowly trickle in the buttermilk and ale, while mixing into the flour with a fork. Once the dough has come together, add the treacle and knead gently by hand for a few minutes. The dough should be firm (but not hard) and slightly tacky (but not sticky or wet). If it's too hard, add some more beer, if it's too wet add more flour.<br />
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Roll the dough into a fat sausage shape and slash the top with a sharp knife. I use a silicone loaf tin to bake, but a well greased and lined metal tin is just fine. Bake for half an hour, drizzling more treacle on top 5 minutes before it's done. Leave to cool on a wire rack and it's done.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVSaC0Ytzz5muqbTfY3iFZ6erat4Y1JCDuCNKFPtfRD0pr7JFq5ceODloGXXEnyveoXcIchiwfSIkvCGcUoK0kx0WXXvZqqPUE7Qe79IxG2_wqLrxZv0jN58Z_s1dlaIz8NaRLYHu8mU/s1600/Toi+toi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVSaC0Ytzz5muqbTfY3iFZ6erat4Y1JCDuCNKFPtfRD0pr7JFq5ceODloGXXEnyveoXcIchiwfSIkvCGcUoK0kx0WXXvZqqPUE7Qe79IxG2_wqLrxZv0jN58Z_s1dlaIz8NaRLYHu8mU/s200/Toi+toi.jpg" width="150" /></a><b>Toi Toi Riesling, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2011:</b><br />
This is hands down my favourite wine on the Wingerworth wine list, it's just fantastically moreish. Based in the Omaka Valley just outside Marlborough, the area has it's own microclimate with cool breezes and full sun. The gravely soil keeps the vines well drained, as well as retaining the warmth of the sun, which adds to the slight sweetness of the wine. The "green" nose of predominantly lime zest is accompanied by the trademark Riesling petrol punch. A slightly sweet, ripe lime palate balances the acidity, along with crisp green apple and just a hint of mineral. It's just a really nicely balanced, interesting wine.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.5 Stars</i></b><br />
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To replace such a great wine we had to find something special and although its flavour characteristics are very different, we opted for:<br />
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<b>Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling, Washington State, USA, 2010:</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_UKa2VpbTBH6zc665DKfO0YMyOP7wlDmZDveFxJNtgiTyJkSb2Il1Q226AMWowDN5mmRCfLFXblRKiumZ-iLTSZpYoTldzdOaolUkCcbCkdHtv901nA4j1Aax0SXeGh9HtsSg4NZZvM/s1600/ries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_UKa2VpbTBH6zc665DKfO0YMyOP7wlDmZDveFxJNtgiTyJkSb2Il1Q226AMWowDN5mmRCfLFXblRKiumZ-iLTSZpYoTldzdOaolUkCcbCkdHtv901nA4j1Aax0SXeGh9HtsSg4NZZvM/s200/ries.jpg" width="150" /></a>This wine originates in Columbia Valley, just South-East of Seattle. The vineyards lie in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains, with warm, sunny days in the area, giving way to cool evening temperatures and create ideal conditions for intense aroma and flavour development. Similarly to the Toi Toi, this Riesling is off-dry, but on the contrary its aroma and palate are dominated by ripe stone fruit and mandarin rather than green citrus. The initial intense sweet mandarin with a hint of peach flavour, gives way to a long, sweet lime finish, again with the petrol and mineral qualities often associated with the grape. As big Riesling fans, we wanted to find something really fantastic to fill the slot on our list and this Chateau Ste Michelle is just great!<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.0 Stars</i></b><br />
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<b>Chateau Bouissel "Classic, Fronton", France, 2010:</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhacHiAcq1ed5tH4_jDByEbkj1Zuw96_moRu1Gv4_PtBybML0qOpQzMzozyTYh2RgdSFPbyF7GZog26eZ1KdXUBeIaGeXY3hPQ5ASlIbzzvRPIKFyc6iIAB8_a5CMOvf_w1i2Esscc4Qo/s1600/chateau-bouissel-classic-fronton-france-10462184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhacHiAcq1ed5tH4_jDByEbkj1Zuw96_moRu1Gv4_PtBybML0qOpQzMzozyTYh2RgdSFPbyF7GZog26eZ1KdXUBeIaGeXY3hPQ5ASlIbzzvRPIKFyc6iIAB8_a5CMOvf_w1i2Esscc4Qo/s200/chateau-bouissel-classic-fronton-france-10462184.jpg" width="200" /></a>Another of the old favourites on the Wingerworth wine list, we actually had this one by the glass too. Affectionaltely nicknamed "Chat Bou" by the staff, I liked this wine because of the interesting blend of grapes, resulting in an equally interesting layered flavour profile to the wine. Hailing from the Languedoc-Roussillon region in deep Southern France, this wine benefits from the temperate Mediterranean climate. Our wine merchant hand-picked this wine while travelling in France and it's clear to see why he fell in love with it. A blend of predominantly Negrette, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, this wine is big, bold and fruity. However, the thing that grabs me most is the floral aroma of rose petals and Parma violets. On the palate you get big, red cherry, followed by ripe plum, before the Malbec steals in with a spicy finish. I found that this wine really benefits from some air and was absolutely singing after double-decanting!<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.0 Stars</i></b><br />
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Sadly the supply of this fascinating wine has dried up, but we've found something equally interesting and equally delicious to take its place:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9unhQXW2-caXVnDZpOfloq5UwMQxhxshbYneVr0rofyOuvcSzzQtrCQqHZ-eod-9kroaC5HNWAygDGtaAgGliFQNwEu6K6l9H-uPU3cBwv2zs884uTEZ1zLQpUqFacg4A4vmDK2LG3_c/s1600/Juan+Gil+4+Meses+Monastrell+2011+PNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9unhQXW2-caXVnDZpOfloq5UwMQxhxshbYneVr0rofyOuvcSzzQtrCQqHZ-eod-9kroaC5HNWAygDGtaAgGliFQNwEu6K6l9H-uPU3cBwv2zs884uTEZ1zLQpUqFacg4A4vmDK2LG3_c/s1600/Juan+Gil+4+Meses+Monastrell+2011+PNG.png" height="200" width="117" /></a><b>Juan Gil "4 Meses" Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain, 2011:</b><br />
Designed to be drunk young, this Monastrell (Mourvèdre) is exploding with fruit. If the Fronton is big, this is gargantuan... The nose caught me by surprise - I could only describe it as smoky, spiced German salami, followed by dark jammy fruit. The flavour was rich<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">, heavy and dense black cherry and blackberry, giving way to a long, tannic, herby, smoky and oaky finish. It definitely doesn't have same the depth or layering of interesting flavour as the Fronton, but it certainly makes up with its punchiness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><b><i>Vivino Score: 4.0 Stars</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Both of these exciting new additions come alongside a host of others in our latest "shake-up" of the wine list. Other wines that we are excited to launch include a Shiraz-Mataro blend from Aussie outfit Some Young Punks (and their sister vineyard Adelina's Nebbiolo, which I reviewed in my "Perkins Wine Series" blog), a Lebansese red from Gaston Hochar, a lovely Gruner Veltliner from Sepp Moser in Austria and a delicious selection of award-winning Beaujolais. We like to keep the list fluid with continual improvements and additions to add interest. But also after a year of trading we hope that the list is starting to reflect our own character and taste, with wines that we have a real passion to share with you. Enjoy!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-61081341168856051512014-11-05T11:26:00.000+00:002014-11-05T11:26:24.911+00:00You won't Bellini it 'til you see it...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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In a world dominated by giant chain supermarkets, it's always a pleasure to find an independent retailer thriving - particularly when it's in a place that you least expect it. Just over ten years ago I was introduced to just one such place by my wife - a place that the locals in Ilkeston seem to hold close to their hearts. I love that, and I can see exactly why. From the outside, <a href="http://www.bellinisfoodandwine.com/" target="_blank">Bellini's</a> on Heanor Road looks just like any petrol station but what you find inside is nothing short of a treasure trove. Aside from the expected petrol station fayre, you will find a small cafe serving<i> proper</i> Illy coffee and homemade cakes, a [what must be] 15-20 metre long deli offering homemade pasties, pies, salads, a selection of quality local meat and cheese and quite honestly the <i>best </i>breakfast cobs in the world for £2.89. They are a weekend staple in our house and it's a real joy to have this place within a few minutes of where we live.<br />
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On top of that comes the <i>real</i> treat - a treat for all beer buffs and wine geeks alike. Bellini's is home to over 600 beers and wines. While they do stock some of the staple brands that you would expect, there are some incredible discoveries to be made, which their in-house experts have obviously worked hard to accumulate. Hard-to-find craft ale from the US, real ale from most of the top local microbreweries and some great treats from Belgium and the rest of the continent. For the wine lovers I just have to fire some names at you - Musar, Opus One, Ridge, Au Bon Climat, Some Young Punks, the list goes on. [No offense, but] in a petrol station... In Ilkeston... Love it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk0_qP6fUrNv_kPV3qw6E7BOwRcrZ729Iyt04G6CZIZgjgWsLNFQit1SbE1zGVoLe-YdKA4vCMpDa5oJy6DKsJ6yQQ83ecHkCniz3KZwVuJMtm4Zrhr6v2uU-fvWDcFlYxU4sy-PCP24/s1600/1912423_616202375102047_283563219_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk0_qP6fUrNv_kPV3qw6E7BOwRcrZ729Iyt04G6CZIZgjgWsLNFQit1SbE1zGVoLe-YdKA4vCMpDa5oJy6DKsJ6yQQ83ecHkCniz3KZwVuJMtm4Zrhr6v2uU-fvWDcFlYxU4sy-PCP24/s1600/1912423_616202375102047_283563219_n.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkd1X4ZozsVScXriZq6huQpko9UQNzIDnksnlbLfoTTGEEtg6dq0b22cdnzMlqaVoN5TH7QvWgBDqFg5K-b7rLnphuh0nWF1iWrMsI6tnrqrXHArYMW__R3hN8TkvKuzV4hUEfOaWKcZ4/s1600/382684_265339463521675_1847691150_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkd1X4ZozsVScXriZq6huQpko9UQNzIDnksnlbLfoTTGEEtg6dq0b22cdnzMlqaVoN5TH7QvWgBDqFg5K-b7rLnphuh0nWF1iWrMsI6tnrqrXHArYMW__R3hN8TkvKuzV4hUEfOaWKcZ4/s1600/382684_265339463521675_1847691150_n.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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On top of that they have their very own free-to-join Wine Club, hosting Wine Tasting evenings in the cafe. The next of these tastings is featuring South African Waterkloof Estate Vineyard on Thursday 13th November, costing just £15 (and offering up to 10% off wine purchases on the night!) - see their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/817172514992152/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for further details.<br />
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Time for some reviews of my recent purchases:<br />
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<b>Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec, Argentina, 2011:</b><br />
Bodega Trivento nestles in the hot, arid Mendoza Valley and is one of the most recognised names from the region. Its name, Trivento, relates to the three winds that provide the climate for the characteristic traits of the wine; the year-round Zonda winds bring hot, dry air from the Andes and improve the budding of the vines, the Sudestada fresh summer breezes bring much needed clouds and rain to break from the scorching sun and the cold Polar winds at the end of the season signal the start of the pruning season. What this leaves us with is a big, bold, ripe blackberry fruit flavour, followed by balanced acidity coming through as sour red cherry. Ageing in French and American oak brings a great finish of spice and earthy leather, as well as the expected characteristic black pepper and a hit of velvety tannins. I love Malbec and you'd be pushed to find a better example for around £12. Worthy winner of a 2012 Silver Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.5 stars</i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7E4N5etgYBHUMrV6Hp88jKqoUGRWon7Ddvvnsbt1ll8CG50I1j54RwbHim-6Sylk9YuVTkkpzqpeNYc-Pqzhbje6hl0C4f3Uh2ksYSHiOaUuRxGZEUrdgbdKWpeJE1Vud_k8kECPlxLk/s1600/img_2126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7E4N5etgYBHUMrV6Hp88jKqoUGRWon7Ddvvnsbt1ll8CG50I1j54RwbHim-6Sylk9YuVTkkpzqpeNYc-Pqzhbje6hl0C4f3Uh2ksYSHiOaUuRxGZEUrdgbdKWpeJE1Vud_k8kECPlxLk/s1600/img_2126.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<b>Yalumba Viognier, South Australia, 2012:</b></div>
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We recently tasted Yalumba's 2008 Museum Reserve Muscat at The Wingerworth, so I was excited to see what they would do with one of my favourite white grapes, Viognier. As Australia's oldest family-owned vineyard, you imagine that they have developed the right formula over their 165 year history. Based in the Barossa Valley, Yalumba are at the forefront of innovation in the wine industry, particularly in environmental performance and organic viticulture. However, this only impresses me if it results in great wine! What did impress was the thought that had gone into the label - a beautifully drawn rootstock to catch the eye on expensive-feeling textured paper and a smart tear-off tab to keep safe and remember the wine for next time. I must admit that the wine sadly did not <i>quite</i> live up to the high expectation set by the packaging. The nose was heavily floral [honeysuckle perhaps], with a citrus undertone. A rich buttery character to the palate added a touch of opulence alongside stone fruit and although the label claimed to offer a taste of lychee, I didn't really get any. The finish was smoky, but sadly sharp and acidic - a really unsubtle end to what promised to be quite a sophisticated wine.</div>
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<b><i>Vivino Score: 3.5 stars</i></b></div>
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<b>Au Bon Climat "Wild Boy" Chardonnay, California, 2011:</b><br />
It has been mooted on occasion that I am a fan of California and that I might be partial to a drop of Chardonnay. Imagine my excitement when this badboy [or should I say Wild Boy] appeared on the shelf! For anyone who doesn't know Au Bon Climat, they are a serious wine-maker on the Californian West Coast, specialising in Burgundian-style wines. Normally styled for the expected "serious" market, I have to say that I was both surprised and skeptical about the [mental] label. For anyone who does know Au Bon Climat well, the "Wild Boy" on the label is clearly Jim Clendensen, the mad scientist behind the brand. At around £19, this was about £1 more than I could pick up the wine online but it was an impulse-buy [of which I seem to have had several since...]. The nose was ripe apricot followed by something more tropical - melon perhaps. True to Chardonnay-form, it was rich and buttery on the palate from the outset, with an enjoyable apricot and tangerine flavour. The oak wasn't too heavy and the long citrus finish cut right through the richness.Very delicious and very moreish.<br />
<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.5 stars</i></b><br />
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The slogan on Bellini's website sums my sentiments on the place up very well - "Forty years, three generations... one very special local store!". If you want to try something different, something exciting, something carefully chosen, head over there and take a look for yourself.<br />
<span id="goog_407152562"></span><span id="goog_407152563"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-36852335803820173052014-10-25T07:35:00.001+01:002014-10-25T07:35:36.252+01:00Oils Well That Ends WellI couldn't leave Greece without blogging about one of my biggest pet hates in the food world. No, not olives - I love olives. Not even olive oil<i> per se</i>, but <i>cooking </i>with olive oil. I would hazard a guess that most people reading this blog have cooked with olive oil at one time or another and perhaps half cook with it all the time. I absolutely don't blame you - it had been marketed extremely effectively and relentlessly since around the 1960's. It's packaged well, in a glass bottle rather than plastic, it's a gorgeous colour, it smells and tastes brilliant and it costs more so it must be good. And it's healthy, right?<br />
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Don't get me wrong, I agree with all of the above - it's hard to beat flavour-wise and equally it's hard to beat in its raw state, so it's perfect for dipping bread, making salad dressings or even drizzling over your favourite [already cooked] pasta or a rack of lamb for example. Particularly extra virgin olive oil has one of the highest concentrations of monounsaturated fat, which actually reduce cholesterol and help to maintain joint, heart and brain function.<br />
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However, the key thing to note about oils is their "smoke" or "burn point", which causes these fantastic beneficial compounds such as monounsaturated fats and antioxidants to degrade and break down. Also to note - the oil is burning, so it is creating smoke containing carcinogenic toxins and other harmful compounds. So what are the "burn points" of various fats?<br />
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<ul>
<li>Extra virgin olive oil - 160 degrees Celcius</li>
<li>Butter - 177 degrees Celcius</li>
<li>Virgin olive oil - 190 degrees Celcius</li>
<li>Sesame oil - 210 degrees Celcius</li>
<li>Rapeseed oil - 238 degrees Celcius</li>
<li>Sunflower oil - 246 degrees Celcius</li>
</ul>
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You will have noticed that I included butter. Burnt butter [<i>beurre noisette</i>] is a prized element of classical French cooking, which gives me a good opener to mention that things won't harm you <i>in moderation</i>. It's when we cook with them incorrectly all of the time that they become a problem. Water, our staple of life, is toxic to us in large quantities. I saw a chef once fry something in butter and extra virgin olive oil. When asking him why, he quite rightly replied that he wanted to have the taste the butter but didn't want it to burn, so the oil would increase its burning point. It's a common technique, but not with olive oil please...</div>
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There is a grey area - slow cooking with olive oil, sub 160 degrees. In my mind this is fine and I do it on occasion. It is important to note that the heating of the oil will still degrade the monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, but we don't get any of the carcinogenic toxins or other nasties resulting from burning the oil. For something like roasted Mediterranean vegetables, you can't beat drizzling them with a bit of olive oil and balsamic, but cook them low and slow.</div>
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So what's the alternative? Well the best news is that it's local, it's British and it's delicious - rapeseed oil. It has a n earthy, grassy quality to it when fried, which gives food a lovely moreish flavour. It's the oil of choice in many top restaurants around the country, with good reason. Rich in the prized Omega 3, 6 and 9 oils (usually obtained as a supplement from that horrific stuff cod liver oil), it also contains lots of monounsaturated fats and Vitamin E, which is a great natural antioxidant. </div>
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We hear this "antioxidant" word a lot and know that it's good for us, but what exactly is it? In simple terms, it is a particle that gets rid of toxins. More technically, it reduces thenfree radicals (toxins) in our body by inhibiting oxidation of that radical with another molecule, turning it into something that isn't harmful. In the case of rapeseed oil, for example, let's say we're serving it as part of a salad full of Vitamin C. The antioxidants from the Vitamin E in the rapeseed, persuade the Vitamin C to give up a hydrogen molecule, which binds to the toxin. </div>
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So just to be clear - I don't hate olive oil, I love the stuff. I just hate seeing it misused. By cooking with olive oil (and particularly extra virgin olive oil), we're not only destroying what we love it for - the aroma and the flavour - but we are actually reversing the beneficial properties that it gives us in its raw state. It's madness.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-20706087007582707462014-10-24T14:13:00.002+01:002014-10-24T14:22:33.259+01:00Perkins Wine Series<div><img src="webkit-fake-url://1FB249A5-6FB7-40AE-B084-12B027E26385/imagejpeg"></div><div><br></div>One of the perks of a job in this industry is the ever-present opportunity to taste lots of great food, wine, beer and other equally delightful products. On this occasion I was invited to a tasting at my old stomping ground, The Carriage Hall, by our wine supplier Peter Bamford. First off, I must say that one of my favourite <i>ever</i> wines was a 2001 Ken Forrester Grenache-Syrah blend called "The Gypsy". I first drank this in 2005 at a tasting, subsequently buying a half a dozen bottles and true to my style, saving none of them - so a South African tasting was a good start. Equally, knowing Perkins and The Carriage Hall as I do, I knew this would be no ordinary tasting and hearing that it would be guided by Master of Wine Richard Kelley I really, <i>really</i> couldn't refuse the kind offer. My only previous exposure to a Master of Wine was taking my 3-day Wine Diploma at Tante Marie with John Downes, who like all "MW's" knew more about wine than the rest of us know about everything else put together. With a heavily pregnant wife, I decided that my "+1" could only be our resident "sommelier, wine guy/geek/pervert or weinmeister" - we do call him all of the afore - Simon Franklin.<br>
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I have to take a minute to briefly introduce Simon as he will undoubtedly make a regular appearance in my blogs. Whilst I know he will utterly hate to be the centre of any sort of fuss, I have to say that it's an absolute pleasure to work with him every day. He will also hate the below photo, which is why it's there. Simon's knowledge and passion for wine is mind-boggling and feeds my own inner-geek. It helps to keep me [in]sane. I'm certain that it won't be too long before he joins the elite class of Masters of Wine or Master Sommeliers himself. Simon has his own wine blog at http://simonpaulfranklin.blogspot.co.uk - please do follow him.<div><br></div><div><img src="webkit-fake-url://42BF25C7-E28D-438E-9C47-94C28CDE0D38/imagejpeg"><br>
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After a brief introduction to Richard Kelley himself (some of which I will interweave into the below tasting notes), we embarked on our six-wine tour of South Africa.<br>
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<b>The Liberator "Francophile" Chenin Blanc, 2012</b><br>
This was an interesting choice by Peter because it transpired that "The Liberator" (a.k.a Rick) was in fact Richard Kelley. Richard lived in South Africa between 1995-2002, seeing the country and it's wine evolve post-apartheid. As well as basing his MW thesis on South African wines, Richard the"Francophile" and lover of French-style wines is a big, BIG fan of Chenin Blanc. This wine was sure to be a winner. Back to "The Liberator" for one moment - "Rick", is Richard's alter-ego. A caped crusader committed to rescuing wines becoming to a dire fate. Distressed by the amount of wine being blended away or even disposed of, Richard created this brand to give the wines a second chance. With no set formula or price point, Richard chooses only the best wines from the region to showcase. "The Francophile" is the 5th episode in his comic-book series and focuses on showing off wines in his favourite French style. Given that Richard is exhibiting his favourite grapes in his favourite style in this "episode" of The Liberator, he can be forgiven for wandering slightly off-point in not actually saving these particular grapes. Instead, he has worked tirelessly to find the best example of the style and commissioned future production to ensure its sustainability. To the wine itself - I noted a very floral nose, with a crisp, acidic green apple, citrus and mineral palate. The wine is aged in its lees for ten months, in addition to part oak and part stainless steel ageing. This gives a more balanced and subtle oaking. I must admit that I preferred the other Chenin that we tried, but then I prefer the richer style.<br>
<b><i>Vivino Score - 3.0 stars</i></b><br>
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<b>The Liberator "Francophile" Syrah, 2012</b><br>
The second of our caped crusader's latest instalments. This wine was commissioned at De Morgenzon [Afrikaans for "the morning sun"] winery. High in the cool granite soil of the Bottelary Hills,<br>
Richard felt this would be the ideal location to represent the Crozes-Hermitage styly. The vineyard is indeed the first to benefit from the morning sun, which reflects in its dense, fruity character. The nose is strangely floral, with Richard suggesting lillies in particular. The flavour is very much plum and blackberry, with a hint of bitter coffee and a smoky, peppery vanilla finish. The dryness of the tannins balances the richness of the fruit very well. Richard was keen to ensure that the fruit in this wine was pure and naked so it hasn't seen any oak, only stainless steel and concrete tanks. For my personal taste, I felt it needed the oak.<br>
<b><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vivino Score - 3.0 stars</i></b><br>
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<b>Fable Mountain Syrah, 2012</b><br>
Peter had certainly given Richard a tough ordeal in his Chenin and Syrah pairings. This wine was another 5* wine in the Platter's Guide - an honour only bestowed to the very, very best. For us it was great - we were tasting some absolutely brilliant wines! Fable Mountain specialise in Rhône varietals and their high vineyard on mountainside shale encourages slow growth, which for me means big flavour. Every day the shadow of the mountain blankets the vines and keeps them cool, which allows the wine's balanced acidity. Great care is taken at every stage of the process, with a gravity-fed system to preserve quality through minimal pumping. All this adds up to a hefty price-tag (circa £40<br>
a bottle) - well worth paying for such a delicious wine. Again, there is a floral nose and distinctly dark berry palate. Rich fruit means a big body, but the slightly higher acidity gave it a much more balanced profile and longer finish.<br>
<b><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vivino Score - 4.5 stars</i></b><br>
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<b>Miles Mossop "Kika", 2013</b><br>
This 100% Chenin Blanc dessert wine paired exceptionally with our treale tart, courtesy of the Perkins kitchen. Since opening his winery in 2004, Miles Mossop has affectionately named his three wines after his three children; Max, Saskia and Kika. Kika, then third instalment, was added to the collection [of wines] in 2009, and was immediately given an impressive 94 points by Robert Parker. The grapes are picked in the noble late harvest style, in three pickings, only when they are ready. The result is a heavily-honeyed wine with a nose of stone fruit and spice, and a distinct orange marmalade flavour, followed by honeysuckle flowers. For me it was just a tad too sickly-sweet, but perhaps the sugar rush could have been the treacle tart's fault.<br>
<b><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vivino Score - 4.0 stars</i></b><br>
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<b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Adelina Nebbiolo, 2011</span></b><br>
Upon careful contemplation we decided that we were still far to sober and that six wines wasn't quite enough for our table. I'm glad we did - Peter sprinted down to the wine cellar and came back beaming with this beauty. Adelina is a small vineyard just south of Clare, Australia. Although I hadn't heard of them myself, few can not have heard of their neighbour Tim Adams. Equally, it turns out that they produce the striking, edgy, quirky and bloody delicious Some Young Punks range, whose labels everyone must have noticed at some point. True to form, this label was awork of art. The wine makers, Col McBryde and Jennie Gardner set up the operation in 2002. Following a trip to Piemonte, they (as most do) fell in love with Nebbiolo. This wine had a delicate but ripe and juicy strawberry and raspberry flavour, with a liquorice and vanilla finish. I was glad that it wasn't as acidic as its Italian cousin Barolo and it boasted good tannin and length. In fact, I tried very hard to persuade both Simon and Peter that we need this wine on our list - something that I hope will still happen. Just look at that label...<br>
<b><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vivino Score - 4.5 stars</i></b><div><b><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></i></b></div><div><b><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYcA_TVLhP0ibozh9ITcvK9s_NfOECBgnwfXW9NIuJsP00yh_rA4-EvHPW8zosQJ2Mlgf4Rl-wZCjcIPq7rjIZR83vJVSekY5YPGdS3PkyL6nL6yizPO_hdgO716g_pp1Jzxu5xYegzY/s640/blogger-image-519879175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYcA_TVLhP0ibozh9ITcvK9s_NfOECBgnwfXW9NIuJsP00yh_rA4-EvHPW8zosQJ2Mlgf4Rl-wZCjcIPq7rjIZR83vJVSekY5YPGdS3PkyL6nL6yizPO_hdgO716g_pp1Jzxu5xYegzY/s640/blogger-image-519879175.jpg"></a></div><br></i></b></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-13990856054049565762014-10-24T10:37:00.001+01:002014-10-24T10:50:21.110+01:00Kick Ass Ales<div style="text-align: center;">
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With more small breweries than ever before in the UK, it's not a great surprise that one has made it out to Santorini. What does surprise, however, is just how good this brewery is! Pulling off the main road in Meso Gonia, I was searching for the big industrial unit that I was sure would be the home of Santorini Brewing Company (a.k.a. Donkey Brewing Company). In fact, we almost drove past the brew house, which didn't appear much bigger than any of the other buildings and was whitewashed in the traditional style. Yet we couldn't help but notice the giant pump-clip stuck to the front facade - their trademark - either the result of months of careful thought, or a stroke of marketing genius, or both. Witty, eye-catching and "different", it reminded me a lot of the Blue Monkey brand back home. I'm going to be controversial here and say that branding has clearly worked miracles for Blue Monkey. Whilst I appreciate that they have won multiple awards, including Nottingham Beer of the Year four times, I can't understand how - aside from their dark Guerrilla, I find their beer really average at best. I just don't get it. In a similar vain, my immediate impression of Santorini Brewing Company was that at least if their product was average, I bet their marketing and branding carried them through. Even their slogan "hip hoppy, kick ass ales" was brilliant. <br>
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The brewery is owned by four unlikely fellows - Yannis Paraskevopoulos the owner of Gaia Winery, along with a Serbian Head Brewer, an English ex-buyer for Oddbins and an American ale enthusiast. Their combined knowledge and experience in different aspects of the market seems to have been one of the keys to the brewery's great success. Just like the four carefully selected ingredients of malted barley, hops, water and yeast in real ale, each of these guys was there for a specific purpose.<div><br></div><div><img src="webkit-fake-url://7E012A53-26FA-4EE8-85AB-7962E7B672B7/imagejpeg"><br>
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Stepping inside I was faced with probably the most impressive brew kit I had ever come across. Just last week I had been chatting to my father-in-law Richard, who owns North Star Brewery in Ilkeston, about changes he'd like to make to his kit "in an ideal world". Literally everything on our "wish list" was on this kit. Two out of two for the Donkey. The layout of the brewery was smart - with a big bar and gift shop stocking t-shirts, key rings and hats emblazoned with the clever branding and (of course) lots of beer, overlooking the second-hand but pristine and mightily impressive bottling and labelling machine.<br>
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Around the corner was the main kit - boiling vessel, mash tun, FVs and six smaller FVs for secondary fermentation to occur under more controlled conditions <i>before </i>casking or bottling. The kit was all from an Austrian company [Fleck's] and it was no surprise that the Austrians had thought of everything. If they could make it more efficient, more controllable, more measurable at every stage or more simple they had done it. The thought that kept flowing through my mind is "this must have cost a small fortune..." - it was the Benz of brew kits. Since opening in 2011 they have already had to replace the whole kit, tripling in size to keep up with demand - not a great surprise from what I had seen so far. At full capacity they brew 75,000 litres [just shy of 1,850 casks in our money] of the stuff a year and they still can't keep up.</div><div><br></div><div><img src="webkit-fake-url://C3685012-9027-4150-96D9-2D9F83B0FE1A/imagejpeg"><br>
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The final thing to note was that the whole place was spotless. I've been to too many breweries in the UK where I've thought either "do I really want to drink a product made<i> here</i>?", or even as bad as "<i>how</i> have the hygiene regulators not noticed this?". With a long history in the pharmaceutical industry, I'm glad to say that Richard's operation at North Star is similarly carefully managed, but I always thought of that as somewhat of a rarity in the brewing world.</div><div><br></div><div><img src="webkit-fake-url://910179DE-C5BE-4092-A5CB-8952BF59F6EB/imagejpeg"><br>
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So the beer... I must say that I taste beer just the same way as I taste wine - a set order of characteristics that I go through; colour, clarity, nose and aroma in the bottle, viscosity when pouring, aroma in the glass, [an addition for beer] texture, colour and size of the "head", initial taste [bitter, sweet, sour], secondary and tertiary flavours and finally length and flavour of the finish.</div><div><br></div><div><img src="webkit-fake-url://107C73E3-6F97-4A98-9B57-77562DB4A639/imagejpeg"><br>
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<b>Santorini Brewing Co, Yellow Donkey, 5.0%</b><br>
This golden beer, their "staple" was exactly what it said on the tin. Just as is the tradition with European lagers, there's no room for wasted effort on wishy-washy sub 4%-ers. This was summarised in another rib-tickling slogan, which amused me for a good few minutes - "people who drink light beer do not like the taste of beer, they just like to pee a lot". <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Aurora and Styrian Golding hops from Slovenia gave all three beers their characteristic undertone of pine on the nose. The head was a bit "fizzy" for my liking, but fairly characteristic for a paler ale. Not too bitter, as can be the case with overly-hopped pales. Cascade from Oregon brought the citrus hit, along with the more unusual Motneka from New Zealand. There was also a hint of bitter tea in the finish, which can also be attributed to the Sturian Golding. A subtle sweetness from the malt followed, before a long finish that was a bit spicy [possibly from the farmesene in the Aurora hops] and a bit metallic, which I attributed to the local water. One important thing to note is that all of their beers contain no fining or filtering so, while the beers are cloudy, I actually really like this. Despite best efforts, I'm certain that fining beer affects the quality and purity of the flavour so it's nice to have it </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">au naturelle, </i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">as it should be.</span></div><div>
<b><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vi-beer-o Score: 3.5 stars</i></b><br>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Santorini Brewing Co, Red </b><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Donkey, 5.5%</b><br>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As the name suggests, this beer is darker in colour. Chestnut in fact, but that doesn't have the same ring to it in the marketing scheme. Again, cloudy as hell [but we like that...] and an undertone of pine from the Slovenian hops. They also bring an element of ripe stone-fruit and a hint of caramel before the hoppy bitterness kicks in on the finish. This time, the offering from Oregon is the fashionable Citra hop, accompanied by Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand. This combination of hops gives me a flavour described as the bitter oils extruded from squeezing the zest of an orange. Belgian-style yeast makes the whole package more fruity and full-bodied, again with a lingering finish.</span><br>
<b><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vi-beer-o Score: 3.5 stars</i></b><br>
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<b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Santorini Brewing Co, Crazy Donkey, 6.5%</b><br>
This is their Champagne, their premier Cru - and just to make the point clear, they present it in a Champagne bottle. Love it. The beer itself is an IPA. "Do you want to hear an interesting fact about IPA?", the guide gleefully asked. I couldn't resist stealing her thunder and replied "it never made it to India, it was too good.". Damn, should have amused her. That was clearly her party piece... Nothing left to do but taste the beer. In typical IPA style there was a big citrus hit from the Citra and the cleverly selected Nelson Sauvin did actually add a grape or white wine element. This was followed by a spicy tropical fruit flavour [I'd say pineapple] and a hoppy caramel finish. While I'm generally a lover of darker ales, this was clearly a top IPA - smart, sophisticated, cleverly thought through and delightfully presented. It's special and these guys really do deserve all the success that they get!<br>
<b><i>Vi-beer-o Score: 4.5 stars</i></b></div><div><b><i><br></i></b></div><div><img src="webkit-fake-url://FAADE6B5-3835-4599-88B1-DAAA21EA02AA/imagejpeg"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-67622491062858882902014-10-23T12:10:00.003+01:002014-10-24T10:37:56.025+01:00Treasures from the Lost City<div>
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I've been meaning to start a blog for some time now but time seems to always run away from me. Sitting here overlooking the stunning <i>Caldera</i> lagoon on the Greek island of Santorini seemed like a good time to start - time is in abundance. The vast lagoon itself is in fact the crater of an enormous volcano and the site of one of the largest eruptions on record - an eruption that formed the breathtaking landscape as we see it today and wiped out the Minoan civilisation with a huge tsunami along with [allegedly] the lost city of Atlantis. Whilst the views are certainly astonishing, the food and drink geek inside me was primarily interested in how this all affected the local produce. Santorinians are certainly proud of their food and wine in particular, so I had to find out more.<br />
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I must confess I was sceptical about Greek wine. Not because I had particularly heard bad things, but more that I just hadn't heard <i>anything</i>. I had visions in my mind of barely palatable "rustic" table wines, but what I actually discovered was far from that. So why have I never heard of it? Well, I think the Greeks probably just want to keep it for themselves! They have certainly had plenty of time to perfect the process, with excavations of the ancient city of Akrotiri revealing evidence of wine-making dating as far back as the 3rd millennium BC.</div>
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The wine is distinctive and unique, just as is the ecosystem here. Continuous volcanic eruptions and flowing lava fields have made the soil particularly absorbing and porous, as well as being full of minerals. Low levels of rainfall require thinking outside the box in order to keep the harvest hydrated and the resulting cliff side vineyards are both stunning and practical - allowing easy cultivation and maximising absorption of water as it flows down the cliff face. Another big success for wine makers results from the trapped humidity and morning dew evaporated from the <i>Caldera</i>. To maximise its effect, the locals have developed a unique pruning method, curling and weaving the vines into a basket shape at ground level. Incidentally, this also protects them from the strong sea breezes, which give the wines their characteristic high acidity.</div>
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<b>Argyros Santorini Assyrtiko, 2013</b></div>
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The first two wines I sampled were from one of the oldest vineyards on the island, some parts of which are over 150 years old. Georgios Argyros set up his 5 acre traditional vineyard in 1903, selling his wines at the local market. His grandson Yannis inherited the site in 1974 and since then has grown its size to over 65 acres. Before I begin any brief tasting notes, I must confess from the outset that the vast majority of wines in Santorini are white, which isn't my preference. And they are dry, crisp whites, which if I'm drinking white isn't my preference either. <i>But</i> when in Santorini... Assyrtiko is the indigenous grape variety of the island so the majority of wines produced are either exclusively or a blend of that grape. Argyros' Assyrtiko is taken from a single vineyard in Episkopi Gonia, using 50-60 year old vines. Their low yield produces a big body to the wine and although crisp and refreshing, their acidity wasn't quite as mouth-puckering as the Gaia equivalent, which it describe further down. Robert Parker certainly rates this wine, consistently scoring it in the high 80's and low 90's across vintages. In addition, it bagged a Gold Decanter Award in 2010. I have to say I disagree and that this was the least enjoyable Assyrtiko that I tried - well, it's just a matter of opinion. First off, there was a big unpleasant waft of bottle stink as I popped the [incredibly sexy, black] cork. Once this had blown off, I detected a strong mineral aroma, almost metallic and the wine had a heavy citrus palate. The mineral quality is clearly a product of the volcanic soil and is abundant in all of Santorini's wines. One thing that does strike me about Santorinian wines is the quality of their bottle presentation - whilst I appreciate you should never judge a book by its cover, I do believe that you eat [or indeed drink] with your eyes first so labelling and bottle selection is important. And I supposed the backdrop helps...</div>
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<b><i>Vivino Score: 3.0 stars</i></b></div>
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<b>Argyros Atlantis White, 2013</b></div>
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This wine was in fact a delightful unexpected welcome drink from our hotel, which I managed to save until day two. Again, Assyrtiko came to the fore and the same citrus and mineral composition dominated the nose and palate. It was just more "drinkable" than the previous wine. Earlier that <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">day, we had visited the Gaia Winery and stocked up with more samples - as we were guided through our tasting at the vineyard we were told to decant the wines just like a red to release the full flavour. With no decanter on hand at the hotel, I decided to re-cork half of the Atlantis and come back to it the next day to see if it made any difference. Did it just! Although the original characteristics were still present, the wine's first flavour had now developed a floral quality, followed by a more tropical fruit flavour, then came the citrus hit, which lingered on as a result of the acidity. </span></div>
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<b><i>Vivino Score: 3.5 stars [4.0 stars on second day]</i></b></div>
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<b>Gaia Thalassitis, 2013</b></div>
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As mentioned above, we took time out of our whistle-stop tour of the capital Fira to head down to the coast and taste some wine at the Gaia Winery. A relatively young venture, it was founded in 1994 by Leon Karatsalos and Yannis Paraskevopoulos, who dreamed of producing award winning wines from indigenous grape varieties. Thalassitis was their first wine and is still a staple of their production, which has grown somewhat from their first run of less than 1,000 bottles. Thalassitis now constitutes the largest proportion of their operation, with over 100,000 bottles out of a total 350,000. It is, of course, made from the Assyrtiko grape and their version quickly rose to the top of the pile in its regard as one of Greece's best whites. Its name, Thalassitis, is taken from the ancient practice of mixing wine with sea water, which I was glad to find no longer occurred, but the vineyard's close proximity to the sea gives it characteristics appropriate to the name. Unlike the previous Assyrtikos, I noted a clear honeysuckle and mineral aroma on the nose. I also picked up a feint sulphurous tinge, which the woman guiding us through the tasting seemed a tad affronted by. On the palate the mineral subsides and is replaced by yellow citrus and just a hint of honeyed sweetness. This balanced its higher acidity, which I assume came from close proximity to cool sea breezes. </div>
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<b><i>Vivino Score: 3.5 stars</i></b></div>
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<b>Gaia Thalassitis Oak Ferment, 2013</b></div>
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Giveth wine some oak and Andrij will drink it! This was definitely more up my street. The flavour profile of the wine was largely the same as the previous wine, but the oak ageing gave it better balance in my opinion. The finish was now more opulent and slightly oily, clinging to the palate and complementing the acidity well with a hint of vanilla and even a bit of spice. Although its name suggests otherwise, this wine is aged in a combination of oak and small acacia casks over a period of 7 months, so the oak isn't too heavy.</div>
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<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.0 stars</i></b></div>
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<b>Gaia Agiorgitiko, 2010</b></div>
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To my surprise, this red was far from the "table wine" that I half expected. I suppose I should have known better by now, but I had been told that similarly to English wine, it was better to stick to white here. Grown at their sister vineyard in Nemea on the mainland, this wine had bold, ripe plummy flavours that gave way to spice and pepper from it's six months in French oak. The finish was long, with hints of a tannic bite. Scanning back over my notes, I thought it would be perfect with sticky BBQ ribs. </div>
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<b><i>Vivino Score: 4.0 stars</i></b></div>
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<b>Gaia Vinsanto, 2004</b></div>
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I'm not sure what struck me as more surprising - that my first 5 star wine was a sweet wine, or that it was from a small Cycladic island in Greece! All I can say is <i>wow</i>! Vinsanto is a local speciality and it certainly is special. Dating back to the 7th century BC, it is still made in a very similar style. Gaia's offering is a blend of mainly Assyrtiko, with Athiri and Aidani. After hand-picking the grapes, they dry half in the sun and half in the shade in order to preserve some of the freshness of the fruit and acidity of the Assyrtiko grape, which gives it stunning balance. The wine is matured in old oak asks for 10 years(!) and with no fining or filtration to tarnish the flavour, the result is brilliant. The 2004 is their second Vinsanto and with just 2,500 bottles produced (and none available for export to the UK) I feel really honoured to be taking one home with me. Pouring from the bottle it reminded me almost of maple syrup - sweet, thick and unctuous. Flavour-wise I get a really rich honeyed caramel, tobacco and leather hit, followed by a subtle mineral creeping in towards the long finish, which can't help but leave a smile on your face. At €35 from the vineyard itself, I'd hate to think what I'd be buying it for if I stocked it at the pub, but it would be worth every penny.</div>
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<b><i>Vivino Score: 5.0 stars</i></b></div>
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<b>Santo Nyktari, 2013</b></div>
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I couldn't leave Santorini without trying a wine from a co-operative. Founded in 1947, Santo Wines is just that and Santorini's biggest producer. In comparison to the other producers that I tried, they champion technology over tradition, which I must confess I sort of like. When cooking, I love molecular gastronomy and all the modern techniques, so why couldn't this be a good thing for wine too? Santo is built on five levels down a hillside, allowing the must to be transported from one stage of the process to another by gravity alone. The lack of pumps not only preserves the integrity and quality of the product, but I imagine it's much more economical, thus securing an additional brownie point. Like the Vinsanto, santo's Nykteri is a blend of Assyrtiko with Athiri and Aidani and I found it much more complex than the basic Assyrtikos. On top of the usual qualities, I picked up a bit of ripe pear and strangely, what I can only describe as some bitter green tea. 3 months in oak (yay!) also gave it a subtle smokiness. Lovely. Reviewers seem to rate it consistently highly and it picked up a Bronze Decanter Award in 2008. I agree - a very nice way to round off my exploration of Assyrtiko.</div>
<b><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vivino Score: 4.0 stars</i></b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1185106927081094054.post-49467775775432789252014-10-22T15:18:00.001+01:002015-06-20T08:55:18.574+01:00A Life of Hospitality<b>A Life of Hospitality</b><br />
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My first venture into the world of blogging is somewhat daunting! I have always had a burning ambition to write a book someday, making several good starts to the process a few years back. Anyone who knows me well might find this a bit strange as I rarely pick up a book to <i>read</i>, let alone set aside time for writing. I hope this foray into the world of blogging will be a little more successful. The plus-side - it's succinct, manageable, easy to chip away at. The down-side - it's succinct, and I'm a waffler...<br />
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So A Life of Hospitality, my first blog title, is me in a nutshell. Just like writing a book, owning a restaurant has been something that I've wanted to "do" for as long as I can remember. I'm happy to report that I'm living the dream - the proud owner and MD of Over the Moon Hospitality Ltd and the wonderful Derbyshire gastro-pub The Wingerworth Pub & Kitchen (www.thewingerworth.co.uk).<br />
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But how did I get to this point? Well that's a long story and I must be succinct... I think high school is where it all really began. I went into Nottingham High School top of my class with a scholarship (having turned down scholarships to two other schools) and spent the first three or four years largely fulfilling my potential - good grades, with side dishes of saxophone, piano, guitar, awards for art and literature, RAF cadets, football, rugby and more. We won't go into details of exactly what happened, but let's just say things went downhill a little from there. I sincerely apologise to anyone who had to teach me at through the A-Level years - it's no secret that I may have been a bit hard to handle. In fact, I believe I just about made it to the top of Mr Williams' "Premier League of School Idiots" after I wrote a [what I thought was] a witty satirical essay about him during my 42nd(ish) detention of the year. That earned me my 43rd detention and I'm told it was passed around the staff room a few times. Around the same time I was also told by our Head of Year that I had "until tomorrow to have a haircut, or you're out - Kurt Cobain died 10 years ago and thank God that haircut went with him." To be fair the man had a point and my Drivers License photo still haunts me every single day. Although I blagged my way through my GCSEs with mostly A's after not a single minute of revision, that approach didn't quite work out for my A-Levels. Don't get me wrong, my two B's and a C weren't disastrous, but it didn't get me into my law degree as planned. As a result, I bumbled my way half-heartedly through a horrifically boring Criminology degree (the Criminology wasn't <i>so</i> bad, it was that ridiculous subject of stating the obvious - sociology) until one day I mustered the courage to tell my parents that if had enough and wanted to be a chef.<br />
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Immediately good things started to happen. I joined Gordon Ramsay's <i>Tante Marie Culinary Academy</i> (you can find my profile featured on their alumni page, just under Neil Rankin!) <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">and it turned out I was pretty good! I wasn't just passionate, I was obsessed - reading cook books in the library between classes, cooking constantly when I got home, inventing recipes and found myself top of the pile once again. I had classes with Adam Byatt, Tristan Welch, Tom Aitken and Gordon himself, as well as Commis-ing for Michel Roux Jr in the Masterchef kitchen.</span><br />
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Once I gained my diploma I went back to Nottingham and worked my way up the chef ranks in a few great restaurants. By far the most influential chef I worked with was a actually at my first job at Iberico - a guy called Jacque Ferreira. Jacque was (I guess like a lot of great chefs) a moody guy, but he was <i>unreal. </i>I learnt more in my few months with him than with anyone else since. His food was incredible and he, like me, was really OCD about attention to detail. The saddest thing for me was to find out that he didn't even want to be a chef, he was just saving up to get his pilot's license.<br />
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This knowledge sparked a bit of a personal crusade of mine - why do so few people in the UK want to make a career in the hospitality industry? It's a respected career in both Europe and the US so why not here? Too many people see it as a "part-time" job or a temporary fix until they find a "proper" job. My dream for Over the Moon Hospitality is to employ people who want a career, not just a job and from the outset we began to put all of the processes, rewards, recruitment and training in place to make this a reality. In return I expect the best from my staff - maximum effort every time they put on the uniform. Yes we serve great food and great drinks at The Wingerworth, but the thing that makes you stand out in this industry is great people and great service. I'm sure that I will blog about this repeatedly in months to come.<br />
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As I write this, we're making arrangements to attend our first awards ceremony next week as nominees in the Best Newcomer category. I'm proud to be sharing the evening with some of my best employees, as well as my wife and fellow Directors, all of whom have been through <i>a lot </i>this year!</div>
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The other big influence on me came from brothers Jonathan and David Perkins - owners of Perkins, The Carriage Hall and Escabeche. Fellow Old Nottinghamians ["old boys" from Nottingham High School], they were just a joy to learn from in my short time as Carriage Hall Supervisor. Everything about the business had to be "just so". Service standards were near flawless and I try to instill as much of this knowledge on my staff as I can. If you dine at The Wingerworth you will see the occasional small "nod" to Perkins, even in the way we fold our napkins. If you work for us however, you will see much more of what I learned there - the "behind the scenes" management processes in particular.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Perkins </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">is also where I met our wine supplier, Peter Bamford of Modern French Wine - we'll be blogging a lot more about his wines later. Recently, Peter invited me to a South African wine tasting at my old stomping ground The Carriage Hall - there will be a blog about that to follow too.</span></div>
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I can't finish this first blog without briefly mentioning the <i>real </i>reason or source for the blog title - my late grandmother Evhenia, who made a big impact on my early years. Firstly she was the one to teach me to cook with instinct - using a "pinch" or a "handful" instead of a "gram" or "litre" and to check the "taste" rather than the "recipe". She was the first to teach me how to knead bread and although her style was certainly rustic, it was genuine and from the heart. Secondly, although she never worked <i>in </i>hospitality (as far as I'm aware), she was the definition of the word. She was the one who called and held the family together, always with food. Too much food, just in case. There was always someone we didn't recognise at the Christmas or Easter table too - generally people who didn't have a family to spend the occasion with, but she always managed to find someone! A Life of Hospitality - <i>that's </i>what I try to emulate.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17994387498711860145noreply@blogger.com0